KDE has its origins in being ‘like Windows, but with way more shit to fiddle with’. And since Windows was never good about design, and other KDE predecessors like CDE looked even worse, KDE didn’t have a good example from which to learn.
In contrast, Gnome 2 was very obviously inspired by MacOS, and Apple’s designers actually knew about the principles of grouping and such basic design stuff that MS never properly learned. Apple spent ages on adjusting the looks of the apps, which I guess Gnome borrowed to some extent.
KDE has its origins in being ‘like Windows, but with way more shit to fiddle with’. And since Windows was never good about design, and other KDE predecessors like CDE looked even worse, KDE didn’t have a good example from which to learn.
In contrast, Gnome 2 was very obviously inspired by MacOS, and Apple’s designers actually knew about the principles of grouping and such basic design stuff that MS never properly learned. Apple spent ages on adjusting the looks of the apps, which I guess Gnome borrowed to some extent.