
Ubuntu Mate 20.04 - pantalaimon
https://ubuntu-mate.org/blog/ubuntu-mate-focal-fossa-release-notes/
======
bachmeier
I moved away from Gnome to KDE for several years after Gnome 3 came out. Try
as I might, I just couldn't get into other desktop environments (KDE, XFCE,
LXDE, I tried quite a few). A few years ago I switched back to Mate and
haven't considered leaving. It provides the functionality I need while staying
out of my way, which is more or less the reason I can't move away from text
editors despite their complete lack of coolness.

------
stx
One thing I do not like about Ubuntu anymore is its embrace of snap packages.
It just updates on its own. This has created surprises where a package or
program just suddenly stops working correctly. Because I did not manually
update it I have no idea what happened that could cause it.
[https://askubuntu.com/questions/1131182/how-can-i-disable-
au...](https://askubuntu.com/questions/1131182/how-can-i-disable-automatic-
update-for-a-single-snap-in-ubuntu)

To me Snap was a bad choice.

I used to run Gentoo but it started to lack in documentation maintenance and I
became tired of spending so much time solving problems. Full disk encryption
was a bit of a chore to setup on Gentoo and even then I was not sure I was
doing it in a reliable way which required more testing. On Ubuntu it was just
a few clicks.

~~~
8bitsrule
I've found that simply uninstalling 'snapd' solves that problem.

Complete instructions: [https://www.kevin-custer.com/blog/disabling-snaps-in-
ubuntu-...](https://www.kevin-custer.com/blog/disabling-snaps-in-
ubuntu-20-04/)

------
manaskarekar
Just finished moving from Lubuntu (LXDE) to Mate. I loved LXDE and still think
it is the best balance between no-nonsense "stay out of your way", almost all
the stuff works and tweak your preferences. Sadly, that project is dead and
has been replaced by the arguably better LXQt.

I don't think LXQt has reached the same maturity as LXDE just yet, but surely
will eventually.

Left with the task of choosing a new daily OS, I played around with Lubuntu
and LXQt, i3, XFCE, Mate and reviewed some others including the interesting
NixOS.

Ended up choosing Ubuntu Mate because even though it's a heavyweight, I feel
it has made a lot of right choices and works great. Even detects external
monitors on plug/unplug.

If Pop!_OS was out already, I would have considered that, but so far Mate is
really good.

~~~
crypt1d
> Even detects external monitors on plug/unplug.

I can already hear all the Windows/MacOS folks' giggles on this one!

~~~
Majestic121
To be honest most Linux folks giggle on this one as well, it's been more than
12 years that hotplugging screens is not an issue.

I remember having it with vanilla Ubuntu when I started using Linux in 2008/9.

~~~
manaskarekar
Funnily enough, the other topic on the front page (Xubuntu 20.04) has the top
voted comment discussing the state of external displays.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22963765](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22963765)

To be fair, as I've mentioned in another comment, I was not strictly talking
about hotplugging alone. Detection of external displays hasn't been the issue,
usability in some form or another has.

------
Okkef
The number of emojis in that text is appalling.

~~~
barneygale
Hacker News: where we pine for expressive, DIY web of the 90s/00s but pour
scorn on anyone adding character to their projects today.

~~~
rement
I'm okay with expressive but all the emojis made it a little hard to read.
Maybe don't inject them into the middle of phrases.

Good use of emoji

> the Ubuntu MATE 19.10 interim release is our most actively used interim
> release to date! :champagne:

> Recognising that we’re on to a good thing, :thumbsup: we’ve repeated this
> trick

> Thank you! Thank you all for getting out there and making a difference!
> :green_heart:

Annoying use of emoji

> That was a hugely successful :tada: initiative

> with developers to highlight :flashlight: where attention was needed.

edit: apparently hacker news strips out emojis

~~~
enriquto
The fact that they are rendered as text provides a good rule of thumb for when
they are appropriate :

1\. Can you read your sentence without reading the emoji text and it makes
sense?

2\. Can you read your sentence _with_ the emoji text and it still makes sense
(and it means the same thing, with emphasis added)?

If the answer to both questions is YES, then using the emoji is OK.

~~~
grouff
3\. Can you easily differentiate your sentence from a teenagers instagram
post?

~~~
MR4D
I didn’t know teenagers on Instagram wrote in sentences.

Frankly I thought it was hieroglyphics.

------
mixmastamyk
Love Mate as it is one of the closest to the consistent user interface days of
Windows 2000. Fewer WTFs/minute. There is a good dark theme as well, required.

One reason I use it over say XCFE, is that it still has the Locations
timezone/day/night map that is perfect for working across timezones. No one
else seems to have it, and that is why I stay:

[https://askubuntu.com/questions/312634/how-do-i-get-the-
good...](https://askubuntu.com/questions/312634/how-do-i-get-the-good-ol-
timezone-world-map-back/1230460)

~~~
agumonkey
IMO XFCE is a solid point above Mate for win2k feel and low WTF rate.

It's my last GUIlty pleasure :)

~~~
mixmastamyk
It doesn’t have the timezone thing or a good dark theme, last I checked.

~~~
agumonkey
Yeah those are fair points but there's something in Mate that feels like a
cloak.. while XFCE seems quite closer to the look and feel that I miss.

~~~
mixmastamyk
It reminds me of the Win2k installers, I really like it. Just feels
unfinished, as Mate does too.

~~~
agumonkey
I'm confused, what feels unfinished ?

I do have a thing for win2k era installers too.. even though I can't deny
unattended package install ala linux (now chocolate and similar on windows) is
amazing ofc.

------
elagost
Is GNOME the only desktop environment going forward with wayland at this
point? Wayland has been the only way I can enjoy tear-free, config-tweak-free
video on Linux for the past few years, and that leaves me stuck with either
GNOME or something like Sway. Mate would be a great middle ground but I don't
want to have to mess with compositors again.

~~~
foobarbecue
KDE is still pushing ahead with Wayland. I just fixed my screen tearing on x11
Kubuntu yesterday though, it was just one command to enable Optimus
synchronization. (I know, that's a config tweak). I haven't tried Kde Wayland.

------
robrtsql
> We have given MATE Optimus an update. MATE Optimus adds support for NVIDIA
> On-Demand and will now prompt users to log out when switching the GPU’s
> profile.

I wonder if this will actually work. It seems like, in version 18.04 of
*buntu, there was a pretty major regression which required a reboot in order
to turn on or off the dGPU and save power in Optimus laptops, when previously
it only required a logout. Kind of a pain in the ass for my Dell XPS 15 9570
which seems to take a long time to reboot.

~~~
gravypod
I hope someone with context on this issue sees your comment and can confirm if
this contains an actual, working, on-demand GPU scheduler. If it does I'll be
switching immediately.

------
bluedino
I know it's a dark theme and not a true 'dark mode', but it really bugs me how
many of the screen elements are still light gray.

~~~
cassiet
Why exactly?

~~~
edoceo
It's low contrast which increases the time needed to decipher the glyphs in
your mind.

~~~
cassiet
Oh, no, that’s what happens in YOUR mind.

------
Aaronstotle
Mate is my favorite desktop environment, might have to install this on a spare
desktop I got lying around.

------
sg47
Does anyone have recommendations for a cheap laptop for playing around with
Ubuntu? Will use it for light programming, poking around. Wifi needs to work
reliably. I can work around all other quirks.

~~~
seanhunter
Cheap reconditioned lenovo thinkpad wolud be my recommendation

------
incadenza
Do any of the Ubuntu flavors support fractional scaling without big
performance hits? That’s really my last remaining gripe with Linux on the
desktop.

------
RocketSyntax
Nice! I think this is what I've been using on AWS Workspaces. It's not so bad.

------
drcross
Can anyone comment on the telemetry capabilities of modern Ubuntu?

------
Rich_Morin
I really wish Ubuntu Mate would come out for the RasPi 4.

