"Skinning" a Linux distro to the extend they where doing requires dedication and a lot of work.
I've been a linux user since 1996...
I disagree. If you really look at what they've done, they've given you some wallpapers, compiz panoramic graphics, made a system sound theme and a few other things.
They have also installed a bunch of things for you from the ubuntu repos.
But thats about it. Thats not development, thats simply customizing it a bit.
Development requires actual work.
Steven