Been using Ubuntu for 15+ years and never used gnome. I always install xfce4 (which has basic tiling), Plank and a few other little gadgets. It stays so much out of my way that I basically don't even notice I'm using it. I tried one or two other distros but generally come back to Ubuntu because it hits the sweet spot of modernity and stability.
Ubuntu you just use gnome, and I've don't think I've ever actually seen redhat (or any centos) attached to a desktop environment.