Ubuntu MATE Changelog

What's new in Ubuntu MATE 15.10 Alpha 2

Jul 30, 2015
  • Added a community contributed wallpaper by David Chadderton from Webspresso.
  • Added a community contributed wallpaper by quidsup.
  • Updated Ubuntu MATE Plymouth boot animation by Jack Mohegan.
  • Added Ubuntu MATE Welcome 1.0.1
  • Welcome is new utility unique to Ubuntu MATE.
  • Welcome helps orientate users with their new operating system.
  • Welcome guides users through post-install configuration such as installing drivers and adding language support.
  • Welcome provides a highly curated list of best-in-class software to "get stuff done" or have some fun.
  • Includes Steam, Google Chrome, Dropbox, Spotify, Syncthing, Telegram, uGet, Minecraft, Gimp (with CMYK support), InSync, Skype, Google Music Manager, Ubuntu SDK, Codecs, libdvdcss2, VirtualBox 5.0 and many others.
  • Updated MATE Tweak 3.5.0
  • Fixed saving/restoring of custom panel layouts.
  • Simplifies the interface for selecting alternative panel layouts.
  • Removed the Ubuntu Software Center.
  • Fixed shutdown/restart of the live session in Virtualbox guests.
  • LP: #1447038
  • Where is MATE 1.10?

New in Ubuntu MATE 15.10 Alpha 1 (Jun 25, 2015)

  • 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.
  • Ubuntu 15.10 daily i386 mini.iso
  • Ubuntu 15.10 daily amd64 mini.iso
  • 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

New in Ubuntu MATE 14.04.2 LTS (Mar 23, 2015)

  • 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 Ubunt 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.

New in Ubuntu MATE 15.04 Beta 1 (Feb 26, 2015)

  • 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.
  • 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.

New in Ubuntu MATE 15.04 Alpha2 (Jan 23, 2015)

  • Updated the Ambiant-MATE and Radiant-MATE icon themes with green icons. Thanks to Michael Tunnell.
  • Added community contributed wallpaper from Gerard Aalders.
  • Added some community contributed wallpapers from Matt Kelley.
  • Added some community contributed wallpapers from Paolo Bravi.
  • Added some community contributed wallpapers from Steve Cook.
  • Added Yuyo and Yuyo-Dark themes with Yuyo-Dark being the default. Thanks to Sam Hewitt.
  • Added missing libnss-mdns LP #1380945.
  • Added missing faces pixmaps LP #1385822.
  • Added MATE Menu, which is a fork of MintMenu.
  • Added MATE Tweak, which is a fork of MintDesktop.
  • Added Compiz support. MATE Tweak can be used to live switch between Compiz and Marco, no log out/in required.
  • Enabled X zapping via Ctrl+Alt+Backspace.
  • Enabled screen reader activation via LightDM indicators and LightDM key bindings.
  • Enabled touch to click by default for touchpads.
  • Enable Tilda pull-down terminal integration. Press F12 to show/hide.
  • Fixed GRUB theme activation.
  • Fixed Calculator media keys LP #1382781.
  • Fixed package conflicts with gnome-applets LP #1378666.
  • Fixed sound themes. Thanks to Sergio Schneider of the Ubunt MATE Updated project
  • Fixed auto-login on first boot if auto-login was selected during the install.
  • Replaced Totem with VLC as per the community VLC poll.
  • Contributed patches to Ubiquity the provide better support for MATE.
  • All MATE package updates from Debian have been automatically synced to Ubuntu 15.04.
  • Ubuntu 15.04 has adopted multilib GObject introspection runtime (gir) which means Caja plugins now work "out of the box".

New in Ubuntu MATE 14.04.1 LTS (Nov 12, 2014)

  • Updated the Ambiant-MATE and Radiant-MATE themes with green icons. Thanks to Michael Tunnell.
  • Added community contributed wallpaper from Gerard Aalders.
  • Added missing libnss-mdns LP #1380945.
  • Added missing faces pixmaps LP #1385822.
  • Added missing policykit-desktop-priviledges.
  • Added support for Indicators and updated some panel layouts to include indicator enabled variants.
  • Added MATE Menu, which is a fork of MintMenu.
  • Added MATE Tweak, which is a fork of MintDesktop.
  • Enabled the Accessibility PPA to add Orca 3.14 which improves the accessibility of Firefox.
  • Enabled screen reader activation via LightDM indicators and LightDM key bindings.
  • Fixed accessibility keybindings to toggle the Orca screen reader. Thanks to Sander Sweers.
  • Fixed Plymouth not displaying boot up splash screens.
  • Fixed GRUB theme activation.
  • Fixed Calculator media keys LP #1382781.
  • Fixed package conflicts with gnome-applets LP #1378666.
  • Fixed mouse scrolling console pager application in mate-terminal LP #1337195.
  • Replaced Totem with VLC as per the community VLC poll.
  • Synced atril 1.8.1+dfsg1-2 from Debian.
  • Synced caja-extensions 1.8.0-2 from Debian.
  • Synced engrampa 1.8.1+dfsg1-1 from Debian.
  • Synced marco 1.8.2+dfsg1-4 from Debian.
  • Synced mate-applets 1.8.1+dfsg1-3 from Debian.
  • Synced mate-control-center 1.8.3+dfsg1-1 from Debian.
  • Synced mate-desktop 1.8.1+dfsg1-2 from Debian.
  • Synced mate-media 1.8.0+dfsg1-3 from Debian.
  • Synced mate-netbook 1.8.1-1 from Debian.
  • Synced mate-notification-daemon 1.8.1-1 from Debian.
  • Synced mate-panel 1.8.1+dfsg1-2 from Debian.
  • Synced mate-power-manager 1.8.1+dfsg1-1 from Debian.
  • Synced mate-session-manager 1.8.1-5 from Debian.
  • Synced mate-settings-daemon 1.8.2-1 from Debian.
  • Synced mate-terminal 1.8.1+dfsg1-2 from Debian.
  • Synced mate-utils 1.8.1+dfsg1-1 from Debian.
  • Synced mozo 1.8.0-2 from Debian.
  • Synced python-caja 1.8.1-1 from Debian.
  • Synced xzoom 0.3-24 from Debian.

New in Ubuntu MATE 14.10 (Oct 23, 2014)

  • Full disk encryption, or rather entering your pass phrase into Plymouth, was properly fixed by the Ubuntu team.
  • Fixed missing configuration options in the workspace switcher applet LP #1382682
  • Fixed the live session not auto logging into the MATE desktop.
  • Added a background wall paper to Ubiquity.

New in Ubuntu MATE 14.10 RC (Oct 16, 2014)

  • Fixed full disk encryption, or rather entering your pass phrase into Plymouth.
  • Fixed Plymouth not displaying boot up splash screens.
  • Fixed missing Sticky Notes applet.
  • Merged xzoom menu entry upstream. LP #1368188
  • Synced mate-screensaver 1.8.1-1 from Debian
  • Synced marco 1.8.2 from Debian
  • Synced mate-applets 1.8.1 from Debian
  • Synced atril 1.8.1 from Debian
  • Synced caja 1.8.2 from Debian
  • Synced mate-panel 1.8.1 from Debian
  • Added caja-dropbox 1.8.0 to the PPAs.
  • Added mate-control-center to 1.8.3 to the PPAs.

New in Ubuntu MATE 14.10 Beta 2 (Sep 25, 2014)

  • Released community contributed Ubuntu MATE Identy graphics from Goce Mitevski.
  • Added community contributed GRUB2 theme from Ivan Pejić.
  • Added gnome-system-tools due to community feedback requesting user and time management facilities. LP #1367772
  • Added indicators to Ubiquity that enable access to assistive features and basic system configuration.
  • Added assistive features to LightDM.
  • Added keybindings, compatible with Sonar, for toggling assistive features.
  • Added a MATE panel layout that is similar in appearance to Windows XP classic mode (see below for activation instructions).
  • Updated the default Ubuntu MATE panel layout to better reflect how Ubuntu 10.04 and 10.10 were arranged.
  • Updated some icon assets in Ambiant-MATE and Radiant-MATE. Thanks to Jack Mohegan.
  • Updated some of the Ubiquity slides used in the installer slide show. Thanks to Ivan Pejić.
  • Updated font configuration to be consistent across applications.
  • Fixed installation failures when there is no active Internet connection. Really, it is fixed this time. LP #1363267
  • Fixed LightDM crashes that prevented the Live desktop session from working. LP #1369952
  • Fixed EFI computers displaying a black screen rendering the system unusable. LP #1353989
  • Fixed default application associations. LP #1364127
  • Fixed erroneous apt configuration that prevented recommended packages being installed.
  • Fixed video corruption in the Ubiquity installer.
  • Fixed activation of the default sound theme.
  • Fixed speaker test sounds in the Sound preferences.
  • Merged Ubuntu MATE specific PolicyKit desktop priviledges upstream. MERGE #230610
  • Removed virtualbox-guest-x11 from the Live session.
  • Removed wubi from the Ubuntu MATE iso image.

New in Ubuntu MATE 14.10 Beta 1 (Aug 28, 2014)

  • Added community contributed wallpapers from Goce Mitevski and Ivan Pejić.
  • Added community contributed Plymouth theme from Jack Mohegan.
  • Added community contributed SYSLINUX theme contributed from Ivan Pejić.
  • Added community contributed Ubiquity slides from Jack Mohegan.
  • Added Ambiant-MATE and Radiant-MATE desktop and icon themes.
  • Added Ubuntu MATE LightDM theme.
  • Added OpenDyslexic a font created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia.
  • Added a screen magnifier for indiviuals with low vision.
  • Added patent-free S3TC compatible implementation that provides texture compression to Mesa.
  • Added service discovery on a local network via the mDNS/DNS-SD protocol suite.
  • Added colord to manage, install and generate accurate colour profiles.
  • Added ntp time synchronisation daemon.
  • Added policykit-desktop-privileges which fixes, among other things, auto mounting of disks without requiring a password.
  • Added a PAM module that will automatically unlock the keyrings using your login password, making gnome-keyring usage transparent without losing its security benefits.
  • Added GVFS backend (FTP, SSH, WebDAV, Samba) to Déjà Dup.
  • Added GStreamer backend to LibreOffice.
  • Fixed installation failures when there is no active Internet connection.
  • Fixed hiding the im-config icon from MATE.
  • Improved support for 3G/4G USB dongles.
  • Improved support for iPods and MTP devices.
  • Improved on-demand codec installation.
  • Improved hardware detection and support.
  • Improved .iso image mastering to ensure consistency with official Ubuntu flavours.
  • Improved meta packages and added ubuntu-mate-live for handling packages that are only required in the Live CD.
  • Updated the default Qt4 style to match the Ambiant-MATE theme.
  • Updated the language packs in the Live CD based on the Top 10 countries that visit https://ubuntu-mate.org.
  • Updated ubuntu-mate.org website content and improved the screenshot slideshow.
  • Updated ubuntu-mate.org webserver to deliver all content over SSL/TLS using HSTS, PFS and (when possible) SPDY.
  • Removed ffmpegthumbnailer, light-themes and ubuntu-artwork.

New in Ubuntu MATE 14.10 Alpha 2 (Jul 31, 2014)

  • Added support for booting EFI computers. LP #1337604
  • Added "out of the box" accessibility for blind or visually impaired individuals. LP #1337824
  • Added language-selector-gnome as per community request.
  • Added ubuntu-mate-settings package to provide sane defaults.
  • Added an Ubuntu-like panel layout.
  • Added Ambiance and Radiance themes to Pluma.
  • Added Rhythmbox and Totem plugins.
  • Added Release Notes to Ubquity.
  • Added support for Marco to Ubiquity. MERGE #226114
  • Replaced Metacity with Marco in the live session installer.
  • Fixed Network Manager applet.
  • Fixed inconsistent theme in live session installer.
  • Fixed default icons in LibreOffice.
  • Created custom livecd-rootfs package that tracks upstream.
  • Improved the seeds and meta packages.
  • Improved Ambiance and Radiance themes.
  • Improved mono-icons to better integrate with MATE. LP #1337577
  • Improved font rendering.
  • Removed remmina as per community Remmina poll.
  • Removed caja-image-converter.
  • Removed caja-share. LP #1342206
  • Removed mate-user-share.