Ubuntu MATE

Ubuntu MATE
The Ubuntu MATE logo
Ubuntu MATE 25.10 "Questing Quokka"
DeveloperUbuntu MATE team
OS familyLinux (Unix-like)
Working stateCurrent
Source modelOpen source
Initial release23 October 2014; 12 years ago (2014-10-23)
Latest release26.10 "Stonking Stingray" / 15 October 2026; 12 days ago (2026-10-15)
Available inMultilingual
Update methodAPT (Software Updater, Ubuntu Software Center)
Package managerdpkg
Supported platformsx86-64, PowerPC, ARM
Kernel typeMonolithic
UserlandGNU
Default
user interface		MATE
LicenseFree software licenses
(mainly GPL)
Official websiteubuntu-mate.org

Ubuntu MATE is a free and open-source Linux distribution and an official derivative of Ubuntu. Its main differentiation from Ubuntu is that it uses the MATE desktop environment as its default user interface (based on GNOME 2), instead of the GNOME desktop environment that is the default user interface for Ubuntu.

History

The Ubuntu MATE project was founded by Martin Wimpress and Alan Pope and began as an unofficial derivative of Ubuntu, using an Ubuntu 14.10 base for its first release; a 14.04 LTS release followed shortly. As of February 2015, Ubuntu MATE gained official Ubuntu flavour status from Canonical as per the release of 15.04 Beta 1. In addition to x86-64, Ubuntu MATE also supports PowerPC and ARMv7 (on the Raspberry Pi 2 and 3 as well as the ODROID XU4).

In April 2015, Ubuntu MATE announced a partnership with British computer reseller Entroware, enabling Entroware customers to purchase laptop and desktop computers with Ubuntu MATE preinstalled with full support. Several other hardware deals were announced later.

In Ubuntu MATE 18.10, 32-bit support was dropped.

Releases

Current release Release no longer supported Release still supported Future release Unreleased
Version Codename Release date Supported until Remarks
14.04 LTS Trusty Tahr 11 November 2014 April 2019 Released after the 14.10 release in order to provide long-term support until 2019, following Ubuntu.
14.10 Utopic Unicorn 23 October 2014 July 2015 First release of Ubuntu MATE.
15.04 Vivid Vervet 23 April 2015 January 2016 First release as an official Ubuntu flavour.
15.10 Wily Werewolf 22 October 2015 July 2016 Features MATE 1.10, Ubuntu Software Center not installed by default.
16.04 LTS Xenial Xerus 21 April 2016 April 2019 First official LTS release; features MATE 1.12.x DE, expanded Welcome application and Software Boutique; has ZFS built-in by default.
16.10 Yakkety Yak 13 October 2016 July 2017 Full GTK3+ implementation of the MATE Desktop. Most default applications are "Recommended" and can thus be uninstalled without issue.
17.04 Zesty Zapus 13 April 2017 January 2018 Concluded the migration to GTK3+.
17.10 Artful Aardvark 19 October 2017 July 2018 17.10.1, was released on 12 January 2018. It fixed a problem that corrupted the UEFI & BIOS firmware.
18.04 LTS Bionic Beaver 26 April 2018 April 2021 It includes support for GPD Pocket & Pocket 2, Raspberry Pi B2/B3/B3+.
18.10 Cosmic Cuttlefish 18 October 2018 July 2019 First non-LTS 64-bit-only release, end of 32-bit support. Features MATE 1.20.
19.04 Disco Dingo 18 April 2019 January 2020 Features MATE 1.20 and Nvidia drivers.
19.10 Eoan Ermine 17 October 2019 July 2020 Non-LTS 64-bit-only release. Features MATE 1.22.2 and replaces VLC media player with GNOME mpv as default media player software.
20.04 LTS Focal Fossa 23 April 2020 April 2023 Features MATE 1.24.
20.10 Groovy Gorilla 22 October 2020 July 2021 Features MATE 1.24.1.
21.04 Hirsute Hippo 22 April 2021 January 2022 64-bit-only. Features MATE 1.24.2.
21.10 Impish Indri 14 October 2021 July 2022 Features MATE 1.26.
22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish 21 April 2022 April 2027 Features MATE 1.26.1.
22.10 Kinetic Kudu 20 October 2022 July 2023 PipeWire replaces PulseAudio, and MATE 1.26.1 includes some backported features from the unreleased 1.28 version
23.04 Lunar Lobster 20 April 2023 January 2024
23.10 Mantic Minotaur 12 October 2023 July 2024
24.04 LTS Noble Numbat 25 April 2024 May 2029 Current LTS release.
24.10 Oracular Oriole 10 October 2024 July 2025
25.04 Plucky Puffin 17 April 2025 January 2026
25.10 Questing Quokka 7 October 2025 July 2026
26.04 LTS Resolute Raccoon N/A N/A Unreleased.
26.10 Stonking Stingray 15 October 2026 July 2027 Current interim release.

Reception

In a May 2016 review Jesse Smith of DistroWatch concluded, "despite my initial problems getting Ubuntu MATE installed and running smoothly, I came away with a positive view of the distribution. The project is providing a very friendly desktop experience that requires few hardware resources by modern standards. I also want to tip my hat to the default theme used on Ubuntu MATE."

Dedoimedo reviewed Ubuntu MATE in July 2018, and wrote that "[Ubuntu MATE offers] a wealth of visual and functional changes…You really have the ability to implement anything and everything, and all of it natively, from within the system's interface".

Starting with the 22.04 LTS release, Ubuntu MATE included AI-generated wallpapers. These were warmly received by popular tech blogs, with OMG! Ubuntu exclaiming "I'm blown away by the quality of this AI-produced artwork" for the 22.04 release, and IT's FOSS News proclaiming the "beautiful" wallpapers were "a big highlight" of the 22.10 release".

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ubuntu MATE Team (15 October 2026). "Download". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
  2. 1 2 "UbuntuFlavors". Ubuntu Wiki. Ubuntu Mate. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  3. ↑ Nestor, Marius (19 April 2017). "Canonical to Make GNOME Default Session in Ubuntu 17.10, Likely Use Wayland". Softpedia. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "Team". ubuntu-mate.org. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 Andrew (23 October 2014). "Ubuntu MATE Sees Its First Release (14.10)". webupd8.org. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Ubuntu MATE 14.04 LTS Available For Download". 12 November 2014.
  7. ↑ Sneddon, Joey-Ellijah (26 February 2015). "Ubuntu MATE Is Now An Official Ubuntu Flavor". omgubuntu.co.uk. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Hoffman, Chris (7 March 2015). "GNOME 2 is back: Ubuntu MATE is now an official flavor". PCWorld. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Download Ubuntu MATE". Ubuntu MATE. Ubuntu MATE Team. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  10. ↑ "Release Note of Ubuntu MATE 18.04 LTS (v4.0)". Ubuntu MATE For XU4. HardKernel. Archived from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  11. ↑ Sneddon, Joey (10 April 2015). "Ubuntu MATE Inks Hardware Deal with UK-Based Entroware". OMG! Ubuntu. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Dropping 32-bit support". DistroWatch. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  13. ↑ Wimpy (4 May 2018). "Ubuntu MATE 18.10 - dropping i386 images". Ubuntu MATE Community. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  14. ↑ Smith, Jesse (16 March 2015), "First Impressions of Ubuntu MATE 14.10", DistroWatch Weekly, no. 601, retrieved 9 June 2026
  15. ↑ "VividVervet/ReleaseSchedule". Ubuntu Wiki. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "Ubuntu 15.10 MATE - The wolf that cried sheep". Dedoimedo. 28 November 2015.
  17. ↑ "WilyWerewolf/ReleaseSchedule". Ubuntu Wiki. Archived from the original on 19 May 2026. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  18. ↑ Stahie, Silviu (22 October 2015). "Ubuntu MATE 15.10 Officially Released with a Huge Number of Improvements". Softpedia. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  19. ↑ Nestor, Marius (18 April 2016). "Ubuntu MATE 16.04 (Xenial Xerus) Will Be an LTS Release, Supported for 3 Years". softpedia. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  20. ↑ Larabel, Michael (23 April 2016). "Taking ZFS For A Test Drive On Ubuntu 16.04 LTS". phoronix.com. Phoronix Media. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  21. ↑ hugmys0ul (21 January 2016). "How to install ubuntu mate onto single sdd with zfs as main fs". Ubuntu MATE. ubuntu-mate.community. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  22. ↑ "YakketyYak/ReleaseSchedule". Ubuntu Wiki. Archived from the original on 2 June 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  23. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (13 October 2016). "Ubuntu MATE 16.10". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  24. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (13 April 2017). "Ubuntu MATE 17.04". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  25. ↑ Holm, Joshua Allen (22 January 2018), "Ubuntu MATE 17.10", DistroWatch Weekly, no. 747, retrieved 10 June 2026
  26. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (19 October 2017). "Ubuntu MATE 17.10". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  27. ↑ Sneddon, Joey (19 March 2018). "Ubuntu MATE 18.04 LTS: What's New?". OMG! Ubuntu. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  28. ↑ Nestor, Marius (18 March 2018). "Ubuntu MATE 18.04 LTS Will Ship with a New Default Layout Called "Familiar"". Softpedia News. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  29. ↑ "Ubuntu MATE 18.04 Bionic Beaver - Medium-well". Dedoimedo. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  30. ↑ Hoffmann, Bernhard, "Ubuntu 18.04 – MATE and Budgie editions", DistroWatch Weekly, no. 774, retrieved 10 June 2026
  31. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (9 March 2018). "Ubuntu MATE 18.04 Beta 1". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  32. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (5 April 2018). "Ubuntu MATE 18.04 Beta 2". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  33. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (26 April 2018). "Ubuntu MATE 18.04 LTS Final Release". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  34. ↑ Sneddon, Joey (18 October 2018). "Ubuntu 18.10 Flavors Released, Ready to Download". OMG! Ubuntu. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  35. ↑ Nestor, Marius (4 May 2018). "Ubuntu MATE 18.10 Will Drop 32-Bit Support for New Installations". Softpedia News. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  36. ↑ "Released Last Week", DistroWatch Weekly, Ubuntu MATE 18.10, 22 October 2018, retrieved 10 June 2026
  37. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (27 September 2018). "Ubuntu MATE 18.10 Beta". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  38. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (18 October 2018). "Ubuntu MATE 18.10 Final Release". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  39. ↑ "Ubuntu MATE 18.10 is Now Available for the GPD Pocket Laptop". OMG! Ubuntu!. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  40. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (18 April 2019). "Ubuntu MATE 19.04 Final Release". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  41. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (18 October 2019). "Ubuntu MATE 19.10 Release Notes". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  42. ↑ franksmcb (24 March 2023). "Ubuntu MATE 20.04 LTS reaches end of life". Ubuntu MATE Community. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  43. ↑ Wimpress, Martin; franksmcb (2 April 2020). "Ubuntu MATE 20.04 Release Notes". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  44. ↑ Madon, Monica; Wimpress, Martin (22 October 2020). "Ubuntu MATE 20.10 Release Notes". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  45. ↑ Wimpress, Martin; Ayhens-Madon, Monica (22 April 2021). "Ubuntu MATE 21.04 Release Notes". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  46. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (14 October 2021). "Ubuntu MATE 21.10 Release Notes". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  47. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (29 March 2022). "Ubuntu MATE 22.04 LTS Release Notes". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  48. ↑ bdmurray (22 November 2022). "Lunar Lobster Release Schedule". Ubuntu Community Hub. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  49. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (20 April 2023). "Ubuntu MATE 23.04 Release Notes". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  50. ↑ Wimpress, Martin (25 September 2023). "Ubuntu MATE 23.10 Release Notes". Ubuntu MATE. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  51. ↑ Smith, Jesse (9 May 2016), "Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS", DistroWatch Weekly, no. 669, retrieved 13 May 2016
  52. ↑ "Ubuntu MATE - Pimp your desktop to perfection". www.dedoimedo.com. 15 July 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  53. ↑ Sneddon, Joey (17 March 2022). "These AI-Made Ubuntu Mascot Artworks are Incredible". OMG! Ubuntu. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  54. ↑ Rudra, Sourav (20 October 2022). "Ubuntu MATE 22.10 Release Has Some Interesting Upgrades!". ITS FOSS. Retrieved 25 October 2022.