The ~/.profile script was been used ever for configure environment vars, configure development environments (like Node Version Manager), allows complex configurations what can have mutual interaction with relative easy, custom commands, custom system configurations in the which the user can have the control of their system in addition to disposing of it at all times and systems and to remove it is to force to have little freedom, being gnome a of the few good (the most popular and very well possibly the best) graphic shell that has linux, being essential for the linux user who wants to have control of his system.