”The sort of favoritism that would be improper is to make a decision for the sake of profit (rather than the success of GNOME and the triumph of freedom).“A technical project has to make specific technical decisions. It can't favor all the options that fit the philosophy; often it has to choose an avenue and follow it. Whatever the choices, some might call them "favoritism", but that's tough. Choosing can't be avoided.
GNOME is a desktop environment, but it is not just a desktop environment. It is also based on a philosophy of free software and freedom. That philosophy sometimes yields specific ethical reasons for making specific technical choices. To someone who thinks only in terms of technology, these might seem like "favoritism", but favoring the ethical (or what leads to it) over the unethical is right and proper.
The sort of favoritism that would be improper is to make a decision for the sake of profit (rather than the success of GNOME and the triumph of freedom).
