Agreed...
And I know little to no C++ to understand Qt than GTK anyway... 
I only started using Linux around 2016. Before that I was a total â– â– â– â– â– â– when it came to programming and software and was a full-blown Windows user. So I don't know how GTK2 was in the good-old GNOME days, but I have fallen in love with MATE since coming across UM and have learned so much since then; and maybe because of that I don't see or feel all the nitty-gritty details that have regressed all over the years, but I have seen how stupendously GNOME 3 and/or GTK3 has been removing stuff to be a pleasant experience when I sit in front of my desktop.
And I understand the emotion behind of all the old users...
I have found MATE and UM to be reliable, and it works more than enough for me, despite the regressions. 