Ubuntu MATE 15.04 Beta 1

Yes, we finally made it! Ubuntu MATE 15.04 Beta 1 is now available for official download. This official release builds on Ubuntu MATE Alpha 2, introduces some new features and is officially official :-D

What works?

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

What changed since the Ubuntu MATE 15.04 Alpha 2 release?

Well, the big change is largely backend stuff as Ubuntu MATE has transitioned from our unofficial iso build servers to the official Canonical build infrastructure. From Ubuntu MATE 15.04 onward images are now built alongside the other members of the Ubuntu family.

I’d like to say a big “Thank You” to the following Ubuntu developers who have helped make this possible:

• Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre
• Colin Watson
• Iain Lane
• Adam Conrad
• Adam Stokes
• Didier Roche
• Martin Pitt
• Daniel Holbach

It is also worth mentioning that the Xubuntu team have been ever so welcoming and great collaborators. Some new features in Ubuntu MATE have come directly from Xubuntu development efforts. As always, I can’t thank Mike Gabriel and Vangelis Mouhtsis enough for their help working the MATE packages through Debian and fixing bugs. A large percentage of the Ubuntu MATE development is actually taking place in Debian.

Here what changed since Ubuntu MATE 15.04 Alpha 2:

• Added everything required to build Ubuntu MATE 15.04 to the official Ubuntu archive.
• Added PowerPC as an officially supported architecture for Ubuntu MATE 15.04.
  • Running Linux on PowerPC can require some tinkering and the following are useful references.
  • PowerPC Known Issues
  • PowerPC FAQ
• Added an interface layout switcher to MATE Tweak, see the video below.

• Added Plank.
  • Plank is not enabled by default, but can be activated via the Eleven layout in MATE Tweak.
• Added Folder Colors.
• Added menu categories to System -> Preferences.
• Added OEM Install.
  • This is as a result of achieving official status.
• Updated LightDM GTK Greeter to 2.0.0 which now includes a MATE logo in the session switcher.
• Updated LightDM GTK Greeter Settings 1.10. Thanks to Sean M. Davis
• Updated Yuyo GTK theme to better support GTK 3.14. Thanks to Sam Hewitt.
• Fixed GTK+ 2.x so it better supports multi monitor under MATE. Thanks to Vlad Orlov (MATE Core Dev).
  • This was then merge upstream. Thanks Wolfgang Ulbrich (MATE Core Dev)
  • This resulted in GTK 2.24.26 being released which is now included in Ubuntu 15.04.
• Fixed uninstalling packages from the Ubuntu MATE meta packages.
  • This is as a result of achieving official status.
• Fixed being an unofficial Ubuntu flavour.
  • This is as a result of achieving official status ;-)
• Merged MATE Compatibility integration into upstream Compiz.
  • While Compiz is installed by default, it is not enabled by default.
  • MATE Tweak includes an option to switch between Marco and Compiz, no log out/in required.

Known Issues

It is not all good news however. Here are the known issues.

• MATE 1.8x is not fully compatible with glibc >= 2.43.1 which now features in Ubuntu 15.04. The MATE team have been working on patches but they have not yet made there way into the official Ubuntu archive. Therefore the following PPA should be enabled to get the fixes. You really want to do this:

  sudo apt-add-repository ppa:ubuntu-mate-dev/vivid-mate sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

• The “Notification Area” crashes on first start, and then at random intervals there after but only for the i386 build.
  • LP: #1425401
  • When the "Notification Area" has quit unexpectedly` dialogue appears click Reload.
• Live switching between Compiz and Marco is somewhat experimental and may result in no window decorations on some older GPUs.
• Virtualbox guests may only get a resolution of 640x480
  • LP: #1368784
• Running an Ubuntu MATE live session as a Virtualbox guest may corrupt the video output of the guest.
  • You can correct the video display by pressing Host+F1 to switch VT in the guest and then press Host+F7 to switch back which will correct the video output.
• The .iso images are a little bigger than they need to be and include some unnecessary packages. This is due to the transition from unofficial to official builds and will be addressed for Beta 2 or the Release Candidate.
• Some packages schedule for inclusion in Ubuntu MATE 15.04 have not yet made it into the official archive. Hopefully this can be addressed before Beta 2.

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

• Ubuntu MATE Bug Tracker

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 15.04 Useful Information

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.