Yes. Maybe they saw Windows 11 and decided that now it's the right time to release Liquid Glass and fix it later. Anyway I've been on Linux since 2009 and it's getting better at each release (Ubuntus up to 20.04 and then Debian, Gnome.)
That's pretty common: a lot of developers left Windows for a Mac in the 2000s because it was a more comfortable and realiable Unix than Linux. However I never liked the UI of Macs, so I never bought one. It was OK on the 9" screen of the original Mac in 1984, but weird on larger screens.
Luckily I've been able to make my GNOME desktop look like exactly what I want since at least 2020, when the ecosystem of GNOME shell extensions got mature enough. My current desktop is close to mix of old Windows and GNOME 2, with virtual desktops and other stuff that did not exist back then. I like stuff to stay put on screen, so no animations and all those UI gimmicks. Maybe I should have started from KDE but I got burned by KDE in 2014 and I hesitate to invest time to look at it again.
As long as their competition is what it is, they don't have to put much effort in.