Debian GUI

The default desktop is called GNOME and it's always been the default desktop for most linux distros. Theres lots of ways to install another desktop if you dont like how GNOME looks or functions but the easiest way is probably by opening a terminal and typing sudo tasksel , putting in your password and selecting an option with space, then press tab and confirm your option. You can view what the other desktops look like here > https://wiki.debian.org/DesktopEnvironment#Desktop_environment

You can also search for the desktops using synaptic if you want a graphical way of doing this. For example, you can find the kde-plasma-desktop using synaptic and install the KDE Plasma desktop this way. Same with the other desktops.

Surely this is a poor attempt at trolling?

Install plasma desktop environment and remove gnome desktop environment

If you just installed, you may be better off wiping and installing again. Unselect GNOME and choose KDE plasma instead when you get to the desktop environment selection screen.
Genuine question, how did you get a Debian install running without knowing about the different desktop environments?

During install you didn't select something different so that's what you got.

I use Debian+LXQT on the other desktop. I am an LXQT fan and for this reason my current laptop is on Lubuntu (Ubuntu+LXQT - at the time of the purchase I had problems installing Debian but it's okay).

Use the netinstall and select a different GUI outside of Debian's GNOME

Which default? Installed from what exactly?

Anyway, Debian offers many choices, various Desktop Environments (DEs), Window Managers (WMs), etc. You can install and try various ones - have several if you want ... or none at all.

When you go to purchase a new car do you just go to some dealership and tell them to sell you the default?

What do you even mean default gui? Didn’t you specifically select gnome when you installed Debian? Anyways just run “sudo tasksel”

openbox tint2 feh xsreensaver gmrun

Use the minimal image and uncheck any desktop selection if prompted. You should have a command-line only after the install and you can set up your own gui of choice with apt.

You're right!

That horrible GUI is Gnome, which insanely Debian developers like to mislead people by calling it Debian desktop environment in the installer.

And then there's another Gnome option to throw you even more out of the scent.

Gnome is indeed trying to imitate Mac.

It also tries to imitate touch screen interfaces.

It also tries to more keyboard driven.

So of course it's not intuitive and easy to use for the majority of us.

If you want a sane and intuitive desktop environment, try KDE Plasma:

https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/

It even is the default desktop environment on these devices:

https://kde.org/hardware/

And on Linux in general, it's the most popular / used, at least for gamers:

https://www.gamingonlinux.com/users/statistics/#DesktopEnvironment-top

If you like it and want to give a hand to its development, w try to do it here:

https://kde.org/fundraisers/plasma6member/

And with bug reports here:

https://bugs.kde.org/