The MATE Desktop Environment is the continuation of GNOME 2. It provides an intuitive and attractive desktop environment using traditional metaphors for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems.
If you love cascading menus, top and bottom panels, and an absence of desktop effects, MATE may offer a friendly home environment.
MATE is composed of a number of applications.
MATE is supported under most popular Linux distributions.
- Provides the following applications:
- Caja – the file manager for the desktop. It’s a fork of GNOME Files (Nautilus)
- Pluma – a simple text editor with some useful features. It’s a fork of Gedit.
- Eye of MATE – a simple graphics viewer. Eye of MATE is a fork of Eye of GNOME.
- Atril – a simple multi-page document viewer. It can display and print PostScript (PS), Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), DJVU, DVI, XPS and Portable Document Format (PDF) files. It’s a fork of Evince.
- Engrampa – an archive manager that creates and modifies archives, views the content of archives, views a file contained in an archive, as well as extracting files from an archive. The application is a fork of Archive Manager.
- MATE Terminal – a terminal emulation application that provides shell access. It offers multi-tab support and profiles. The software is a fork of GNOME Terminal.
- Supports HiDPI displays with dynamic detection and scaling.
- Fully supports the GTK+ 3 application framework.
- Various desktop layouts such as Familiar, Mutiny (a homage to Unity), Redmond, Cuperinho (a macOS inspired affair), and Traditional.
- HUD (Head Up Display) – enables menu options to search by pressing Alt.
- Good keyboard support.
- Cross-platform supports – besides Linux, the environment runs under FreeBSD, PC-BSD, GhostBSD, and OpenIndiana.
Website: mate-desktop.org
Support: Blog
Developer: MATE team
License: GNU LGPLv2, GNU GPLv2
The MATE Desktop Environment is written in C, C++ and Python. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials. Learn Python with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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Gnome 2 is still the best!
I have been using Linux Operating Systems almost ever since Linux existed. I have experimented with almost every Linux Distro available. I have concluded that if Gnome 2 / Mate is not available, it is a waste of my time to install, unless I install all Mate software after installation.
Given that there are over a thousand Linux distros, I seriously doubt anyone has tried “almost every Linux Distro available”. And certainly not for any length of time.
Good call
Actually, I have tried all and still strongly prefer Gnome 2
Don’t be mendacious. Incredulous you’ve tried all 1000+ Linux distros.