The launch of the final version is getting closer

Jan 29, 2016 22:48 GMT  ·  By

Ubuntu MATE 16.04 Alpha 2 has finally landed, and its developers are saying that it is the biggest update so far.

The Ubuntu MATE developers are spoiling its users with bigger and bigger changelogs with each new edition. From the looks of it, the upcoming Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS is going to be a really big upgrade, and that’s easy to notice from the changelog that has been posted alongside it. Besides the large number of fixes and other improvements, there are quite a few package upgrades.

It’s also interesting to notice that not a lot of Ubuntu flavors are going for the Alpha 2 release, but that hasn’t stopped the Ubuntu MATE devs from their goal. As usual, any Alpha or Beta launch comes with the regular warnings. Don’t install this and expect a smooth ride.

Ubuntu MATE 16.04 Alpha 2 has arrived

“We are preparing Ubuntu MATE Xenial Xerus (16.04) for distribution on April 21st, 2016 With this Alpha 2 pre-release, you can see what we are trying out in preparation for our next (stable) version,” developers wrote.

According to the changelog, the MATE desktop has been upgraded to version 1.12.1, the Ubuntu MATE Welcome is now at version16.04.1, MATE Tweak has been upgraded to version 3.5.5, Ubuntu MATE Settings to 16.04.1 has been implemented, the artwork has been upgraded, and the MATE Menu has been improved as well.

This is just scratching the surface of what’s new in Ubuntu MATE 16.04 Alpha 2. As you can expect, the upgrade to MATE Desktop 1.12.1 takes the bulk of the release. You can check the full changelog below for more details on what’s new.

You can download the Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS Alpha 2 from the official website and please remember that it is not meant for productions machines.

The launch date for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and all of its flavors is set for April 21.

Full Changelog