Ubuntu MATE
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, 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 the 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.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
| Version | Codename | Release date | Supported until | Remarks |
| 14.04 LTS | Trusty Tahr | 2014-11-11 | April 2019 | Released after the 14.10 release in order to provide long-term support until 2019, following Ubuntu. |
| 14.10 | Utopic Unicorn | 2014-10-23 | July 2015 | First release of Ubuntu MATE. |
| 15.04 | Vivid Vervet | 2015-04-23 | January 2016 | First release as an official Ubuntu flavour. |
| 15.10 | Wily Werewolf | 2015-10-22 | July 2016 | Features MATE 1.10, Ubuntu Software Center not installed by default. |
| 16.04 LTS | Xenial Xerus | 2016-04-21 | 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 | 2016-10-13 | 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 | 2017-04-13 | January 2018 | Concluded the migration to GTK3+. |
| 17.10 | Artful Aardvark | 2017-10-19 | 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 | 2018-04-26 | April 2021 | It includes support for GPD Pocket & Pocket 2, Raspberry Pi B2/B3/B3+. |
| 18.10 | Cosmic Cuttlefish | 2018-10-18 | July 2019 | First non-LTS 64-bit-only release, end of 32-bit support. Features MATE 1.20. |
| 19.04 | Disco Dingo | 2019-04-18 | January 2020 | Features MATE 1.20 and Nvidia drivers. |
| 19.10 | Eoan Ermine | 2019-10-17 | 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 | 2020-04-23 | April 2023 | Features MATE 1.24. |
| 20.10 | Groovy Gorilla | 2020-10-22 | July 2021 | Features MATE 1.24.1. |
| 21.04 | Hirsute Hippo | 2021-04-22 | January 2022 | 64-bit-only. Features MATE 1.24.2. |
| 21.10 | Impish Indri | 2021-10-14 | July 2022 | Features MATE 1.26. |
| 22.04 LTS | Jammy Jellyfish | 2022-04-21 | April 2027 | Features MATE 1.26.1. |
| 22.10 | Kinetic Kudu | 2022-10-20 | July 2023 | PipeWire replaces PulseAudio, and MATE 1.26.1 includes some backported features from the unreleased 1.28 version |
| 23.04 | Lunar Lobster | 2023-04-20 | January 2024 | |
| 23.10 | Mantic Minotaur | 2023-10-12 | July 2024 | |
| 24.04 LTS | Noble Numbat | 2024-04-25 | May 2029 | Current LTS release. |
| 24.10 | Oracular Oriole | 2024-10-10 | July 2025 | 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 " 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".