Ubuntu MATE 15.10 Alpha 1

We are preparing Ubuntu MATE Wily Werewolf (15.10) for distribution on October 22nd, 2015 With this Alpha 1 pre-release, you can see what we are trying out in preparation for our next (stable) version.

What works?

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

Ubuntu MATE Alpha Releases are NOT recommended for:

• Regular users who are not aware of pre-release issues
• Anyone who needs a stable system
• Anyone uncomfortable running a possibly frequently broken system
• Anyone in a production environment with data or workflows that need to be reliable

Ubuntu MATE Alpha Releases are recommended for:

• Regular users who want to help us test by finding, reporting, and/or fixing bugs
• Ubuntu MATE, MATE, and GTK+ developers

What changed since the Ubuntu MATE 15.04 release?

Here what changed in Ubuntu MATE 15.10 Alpha 1 since Ubuntu MATE 15.04.

• Added community contributed wallpapers by David Chadderton from Webspresso.
• Added a community contributed wallpaper by Rohith Madhavan.
• Added TLP for improved laptop battery endurance.
• Added inxi
• Added MATE specific defaults for Plank. (Only activated if a Plank configuration is not already present)
• Added custom menu entries for LibreOffice Draw/Math, Tilda and some control center applets to correct categorisation and reduce clutter.
• Added gvfs-fuse to fix media playback over Samba networks using VLC.
• Added pulseaudio-module-bluetooth to help improve Bluetooth A2DP support.
• Added MATE support to xdg-utils. LP: #1001902.
• Updated MATE Tweak to 3.4.9.
  • Added button to save panel layouts.
  • Added button to reset Compiz settings to “factory” defaults.
  • Added support for Metacity and Mutter window managers.
  • Added support Maximus.
  • Added support for Netbook layouts.
  • Added notifications for window manager switching and layout saving.
  • Improved layout and window manager switching. No longer exit when switching between window managers.
  • Updated UI to remove/replace deprecated methods.
  • Updated translations.
  • Renamed Eleven layouts to Cupertino.
• Updated the Ambiant-MATE and Radiant-MATE themes so that GTK3 application that use Header Bars now have traditional window decorations.
• Updated key bindings for MATE, Marco and Compiz so they are broadly consistent and mostly the same as Unity.
• Updated the ubuntu-mate-core and ubuntu-mate-desktop tasks/meta-packages so a basic Ubuntu MATE system can be installed from the mini.iso using just the ubuntu-mate-core package.
• Updated default application handlers.
  • .deb files are now handled by gdebi.
  • apt:// URLs are now handled by apturl.
  • DVD, VideoCD and SuperVCD discs are handled by VLC.
• Updated apt-xapian-index to only install on i386 and amd64 due to performance and I/O overhead for ARM and PowerPC.
• Updated Compiz profile for MATE to prevent Tilda appearing in application switchers.
• Updated the default settings so that Ambiant-MATE is once again the default theme.
• Updated ubuntu-mate-lightdm-themes to support the new version LightDM GTK Greeter.
• Replaced packagekit with python3-aptdaemon.pkcompat to reduce memory foot print.
• Improved support for iOS devices.
• Fixed tool tips in Wine when running Compiz. LP: #957879
• Fixed incorrect colours in Ambiant-MATE and Radiant-MATE for some GTK3 applications. LP: #1437690
• Fixed Compiz thumbnails. LP: #1437611
• Fixed Trash in the live session. LP: #1445622

Known Issues

Here are the known issues.

• The cryptsetup password prompt may not be shown.
  • LP: #1359689
• Shutdown/Restart of the live session does not work in Virtualbox guest.
  • LP: #1447038
• Running Linux on PowerPC can require some tinkering and the following are useful references.
  • PowerPC Known Issues
  • PowerPC FAQ

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

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.