The distribution uses the latest MATE 1.8.1 desktop

Oct 24, 2014 08:05 GMT  ·  By

The final version of Ubuntu MATE 14.10 has been released and arrives just in time to satisfy a very specific niche of users who want their desktop to act and look in a certain way.

Technically, we should call this Ubuntu MATE Remix 14.10, because it's not officially part of the greater Ubuntu family. It's still an independent project that uses the Ubuntu distribution as its base, but who are we kidding? The distribution is already regarded as one of the flavors and we have its developers to thank for that. They followed the same schedule as Ubuntu and the final iteration of the system is stable and complete.

Ubuntu MATE Remix has been in the works for some time, but this is the first stable version of it. The devs have already made the necessary arrangements to get under the Ubuntu umbrella, but it will take some time for that to happen. Most likely, Ubuntu MATE 15.04 won't have to carry the Remix name anymore.

Ubuntu MATE 14.10 is a modern desktop experience

The MATE desktop was born after GNOME 2 became extinct. People still wanted to have that kind of desktop design and the new one has similar functionalities. A number of devs brought that GNOME 2 experience back to life with MATE, but it wasn't just a mindless fork. It was something more than that. This DE has been around for a few years now, and despite its apparent legacy, it feels modern and light at the same time.

"Ubuntu MATE is a stable, easy-to-use operating system with a configurable desktop environment. Ideal for those who want the most out of their desktops, laptops and netbooks and prefer a traditional desktop metaphor. With modest hardware requirements it is suitable for modern workstations and older hardware alike."

"The Ubuntu MATE 14.10 final release is now available for download. This release fixes a few issues that were present in the release candidate. Thanks to the community. Thanks for showing an interest in Ubuntu MATE. Thanks for using Ubuntu MATE. Thanks for filing bug reports. Thanks for your suggestions. Thanks for testing. And most importantly, thanks for your contributions and creating a solid community on which we can build," says Martin Wimpress, one of the Ubuntu MATE developers.

This latest iteration of Ubuntu MATE is pretty tame and only fixes a small number of issues that have been found since the previous RC. Probably the most interesting feature now working is full disk encryption, but a few other smaller changes have been made as well.

You can download Ubuntu MATE 14.10 from Softpedia. It's a live CD, so users should not have any problems running it.

Ubuntu MATE 14.10 (6 Images)

Ubuntu MATE 14.10 desktop
Ubuntu MATE 14.10 launcherUbuntu MATE 14.10 file manager
+3more