Well, at least on ~x86 and ~amd64 gnome3 is the default now. I have mixed feelings about gnome3, so I let gentoo install it on a VirtualBox VM to start with and I'll think about updating my real machines later.
The new gnome-shell is the controversial piece of gnome3 and (so far) I find it counterproductive. I googled how to disable the gnome-shell and get my gnome-panel back, along with the panel applets that I refuse to give up. (The gnome- shell replaces the gnome-panel, so there is nowhere to run the old applets.) If you want to disable gnome-shell you can do it with the System Info function in System Settings. Click the Graphics icon and enable the gnome-fallback setting to disable gnome-shell. Ah, much better :)
