Ubuntu MATE 14.04.2 Release

Ubuntu MATE 14.04.2 is available for download. This release fixes a few issues that were present in 14.04.1, adds some new features and updates some packages.

It is important to state quite clearly Ubuntu MATE 14.04.2 is not an official Ubuntu flavour! Although we now have official status for 15.04, it is not retroactive. Ubuntu MATE 14.04 will always be an unofficial build.

We would have preferred that this release was made on February 20th when the official flavours shipped 14.04.2. However, we were in the middle of some time critical activities to ensure Ubuntu MATE 15.04 official status, so decided to let 14.04.2 slip until we had time to finish it. We hope you understand.

What works?

People tell us that Ubuntu MATE is stable. You may, or may not, agree.

What changed since the Ubuntu MATE 14.04.1 release?

There are advantages and disadvantages to maintaining an unofficial Ubuntu derivative. The downside is that we have not been able to integrate all of the hardware enablement stack in Ubuntu MATE 14.04.2. We have only integrated the Linux 3.16 kernel, but not the updated Xorg stack. During our testing we found many issues with the Xorg HWE stack, such as Virtualbox Guest Additions and the Ubuntu SDK not being compatible. These issues are not specific to Ubuntu MATE.

The upside of maintaining an unofficial Ubuntu derivative is that we can roll out new features and package updates. So we did, most notably LibreOffice 4.4.1.2.

The advantage of the newer Linux kernel is that it resolves most of the screen tearing issues some people experienced in Ubuntu MATE 14.04.1. The surprise inclusion of Compiz (although it is not enabled by default) is also to help provide tear free video for those with graphics hardware capable of running Compiz. The MATE profile for Compiz also comes with the Enhanced Zoom plugin enabled in order to satisfy visually impaired individuals who require a high quality screen magnifier. The screen zooming keybindings are <Super>m to zoom in and <Super>n to zoom out.

He is what we’ve changed.

• Updated to Linux 3.16.0-33
• Updated to Firefox 36
• Updated to LibreOffice 4.4.1.2
• Updated to LightDM GTK Greeter 2.0.0 which now includes a MATE logo in the session switcher.
• Updated MATE specific autostart files and configuration so they do not conflict with other desktop environments.
• Updated the built-in languages.
  • en es pt bn fr hi ja zh-hans
• Added LightDM GTK Greeter Settings 1.10. Thanks to Sean M. Davis
• Fixed sound themes. Thanks to Sergio Schneider of the Ubuntu MATE Updated project
• Fixed auto-login on first boot if auto-login was selected during the install.
• Enabled X zapping via Ctrl+Alt+Backspace.
• Enabled touch to click by default for touchpads.
• Enabled Qt accessibility modules when a MATE session is detected.
• Backported GTK 2.24.27.
• Backported Ubiquity compatibility features for MATE from 15.04.
• Backported Compiz compatibility features for MATE from 15.04.
  • MATE Tweak can be used to live switch between Compiz and Marco, no log out/in required.
• Backported MATE Tweak from 15.04.
• Backported MATE Menu from 15.04.
• Backported the cloudtop meta package from 15.04 which is suitable for remote terminal deployment.
• All MATE package updates from Debian 8.0 have been synced to Ubuntu MATE 14.04 and 14.10.
  • #774546, #775212, #775261, #776689, #776698, #777311, #778278, #778816, #778817, #778824, #778826, #778835, #776698, #779719, #779821, #779848, #779856, #779916, #780104, #780210, #780226, #780399

Excluding the Kernel and LibreOffice updates, these updates have been rolled out to existing Ubuntu MATE 14.04.1 installs.

You may also want to review the changes that were made in stock Ubuntu 14.04.2.

• 14.04.2 Update Packages
• 14.04.2 Change Summary

Useful Information

You may find the following information useful, which is why we titled the section Useful Information since the information presented here is mostly useful.

• Ubuntu MATE 14.04 LTS Useful Information

Known Issues

• Virtualbox guests may only get a resolution of 640x480
  • LP: #1368784, see [comment #13](https://b$
  • Use System -> Preferences -> Additional Drivers to install the Virtualbox drivers that will correct the resolution.

You’ll also want to check the Ubuntu MATE bug tracker to see what has already been reported. These issues will be addressed in future development cycles.

• Ubuntu MATE Bug Tracker

Please report any issues you may find on the project’s bug tracker so we can improve future releases.

Feedback

Is there anything you can help with or want to be involved in? Maybe you just want to discuss your experiences or ask the maintainers some questions. Please come and talk to us.