MATE

MATE
Name	MATE
Developer	MATE Project
Released	2011
Programming language	C, C++
Operating system	Linux, BSD, Unix-like
License	GNU General Public License

MATE is a desktop environment forked to continue the traditional GNOME 2 experience for users of Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and other Unix-like systems. It provides a suite of desktop applications, libraries, and utilities aiming for simplicity, stability, and performance while maintaining compatibility with modern technologies such as GTK+ 3, Wayland support efforts, and contemporary distribution packaging. MATE is used by multiple distributions and projects and has a community-driven development model involving contributors, maintainers, and downstream integrators.

Overview

MATE is a desktop environment composed of a panel, window manager, file manager, compositing manager, configuration tools, and core utilities designed to provide a cohesive desktop experience. It traces design lineage through GNOME 2 and interoperates with toolkits and systems such as GTK+, D-Bus, X.Org Server, Wayland, systemd, and Xfconf-using environments. The project is packaged by distributions including Ubuntu MATE Remix, Debian, Fedora, Arch Linux, Manjaro, openSUSE, Gentoo, CentOS, Raspbian, and derivatives maintained by organizations and community teams.

History and Development

MATE originated in response to user and developer reactions to the GNOME 3 release and the introduction of GNOME Shell. The fork was initiated by developers who maintained core GNOME 2 applications and libraries to preserve the traditional interface paradigms familiar to users of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Debian Project, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Arch Linux User Repository, and desktop-focused distributions. Over time, MATE has undergone porting efforts from GTK+ 2 to GTK+ 3 and later adaptations for Wayland compositor compatibility driven by maintainers and contributors from projects like Mate Desktop, community members from Linux Mint, developers from Canonical, and packaging teams affiliated with Debian Developers and Fedora Project.

Major milestones include the initial fork, the renaming of core components to avoid trademark conflicts, ports of utilities such as the file manager to modern toolkits, and integration into distributions including Linux Mint MATE, Ubuntu MATE, and remixes by the Raspberry Pi Foundation ecosystem. Contributions have come from a spectrum of individuals and organizations including independent developers, university research labs, and corporate engineering teams participating through platforms like GitLab, GitHub, and mailing lists hosted by project infrastructure and distribution wikis.

Features and Components

MATE comprises modular components including a panel (for task switching and system indicators), a window manager for compositing and window placement, a file manager for browsing, and a settings daemon for hardware integration. Notable components trace heritage to GNOME-era projects and have been renamed or reimplemented to remain compatible with packaging and trademark policies. The architecture interoperates with services and standards such as Freedesktop.org specifications, Polkit, PulseAudio, NetworkManager, and PolicyKit integrations used by distributions and desktop installers. Applications bundled with MATE include text editors, terminal emulators, system monitors, archive managers, and configuration tools influenced by work from projects like GNOME Core Applications, Xfce, KDE Applications, and independent developers contributing to cross-desktop standards.

User Interface and Customization

The MATE interface emphasizes traditional desktop metaphors: panels, menus, icons, and window decorations familiar to users transitioning from classic environments such as Windows XP, KDE 3, CDE, and GNOME 2-era setups. Users can customize appearance and behavior using themes, icon packs, fonts, and window manager tweaks sourced from repositories maintained by communities on GNOME Look, distribution package archives, and independent designers. Accessibility features and internationalization draw on contributions from projects and organizations such as LibreOffice localization teams, GNOME Accessibility initiatives, and third-party assistive technology providers.

Platforms and Distribution

MATE is distributed across many operating systems and spins maintained by distributions and organizations including Ubuntu MATE, Linux Mint, Fedora Workstation, Debian GNU/Linux, Arch Linux, Manjaro, openSUSE Tumbleweed, Gentoo, FreeBSD ports, and appliance images for platforms like Raspberry Pi. Packaging and maintenance occur in repositories and build systems such as APT, RPM, Pacman, Portage, and pkgsrc, with CI involvement from services used by projects like Travis CI, GitLab CI, and distribution-specific build farms run by entities like Debian Infrastructure and the Fedora Infrastructure team. Commercial vendors and hardware integrators occasionally ship MATE as part of preinstalled systems for thin clients, educational deployments, and specialized appliances.

Community and Governance

The MATE Project follows a community-driven governance model with maintainers, release managers, and contributors coordinating via issue trackers, mailing lists, and code hosting platforms. Collaboration occurs between independent developers, distribution maintainers, translators, documentation writers, and contributors from organizations like Linux Foundation projects, community foundations, and academic contributors. Project governance emphasizes meritocratic contribution, stewardship of trademarks and packaging policies, and liaison with distributions and standards bodies such as Freedesktop.org, with outreach and community events akin to meetups, hackathons, and participation at conferences like FOSDEM, Linux Plumbers Conference, DebConf, and Scale.

Category:Desktop environments