Bloat is bad. Equally, software being too minimal is bad.
> It might sting to lose features in software you use, but in most cases it’s easier to relearn how to stay on the “happy path” laid out for you by those who’ve come before
This is far too simplistic. If software I use eliminates features that greatly benefit me, then I'm more likely to look for a better piece of software than to learn some clumsy workaround.
Now, what I’m about to say doesn’t just apply to desktop environments on non-mainstream operating systems, but software as a whole.
Now, what I am going to say (etc.)...
For any widely used tool, breaking existing user workflows creates exponentially more work across the user base than it saves the developers. Sure, backwards compatibility is hard. Doing hard things is the fundamental nature of professional engineering.