Because that’s how the GNOME project architected their dependencies on their shared components and releases. It’s a simpler way to do things than having independent releases. It also provides stability from straight from upstream. Why is the state of the file manager linked to the state of Debian? The same reasons.
The concurrent release of all Gnome components at the same time is one of the reasons Gnome is the preferred DE on commercial distros, as it makes planning and releasing new versions easier. All components are designed to work with each other and what doesn’t make it in the release comes half a year later. Also, Nautilus (Gnome File Manager) is deeply integrated into the desktop.
Why is the state of the file manager linked to the state of the DE?
Because that’s how the GNOME project architected their dependencies on their shared components and releases. It’s a simpler way to do things than having independent releases. It also provides stability from straight from upstream. Why is the state of the file manager linked to the state of Debian? The same reasons.
The concurrent release of all Gnome components at the same time is one of the reasons Gnome is the preferred DE on commercial distros, as it makes planning and releasing new versions easier. All components are designed to work with each other and what doesn’t make it in the release comes half a year later. Also, Nautilus (Gnome File Manager) is deeply integrated into the desktop.