Not specific but fair enough...you find it adequate, although you also plan to use the system for development. I've only done light compiling, but anything heavy can be hard on resources and a lighter desktop environment may then be appreciated. That's all i was trying to get at. If you have more than enough horsepower then it won't matter.Sorry for not mentioning, but my hardware is most modern. So GNOME3 isn't a problem in regards to resources consumption.
The best, full-featured and customizable - can't say. If i had to choose a desktop environment today it would probably be Mate, Xfce or LXDE, but my needs are different so to me an Openbox setup with an lxpanel or tint panel plus an informative conky is beautiful and flexible. If you're looking at it from a Gnome3 perspective, then you will probably disagree.
Everyone's opinion of very minimal is different. For myself a minimal install is Tiny Core Linux with JWM - an ~20MB footprint including base file system, kernel and window manager - can't beat that for a minimal base. To me Gnome3 and minimal don't jive. Also depends on your definition of minimal. Minimal installation footprint - not Gnome3. Minimal RAM usage - not Gnome3. Minimal processor load for 3D graphics and effects - not Gnome3. But that's the beauty of Linux...lots of choices as long as you're happy.