Development Update Martin Wimpress

Ubuntu MATE Beta 1 is released and represents a big step forward compared to Alpha 2, not least because Ubuntu MATE is now sporting new themes and artwork to give it a distinctive look. A number of bugs have also been fixed along the way and a few new ones have been introduced, so make sure you read the release notes below.

What changed since Alpha 2?

Mostly Beta 1 has been focused on adding artwork to give Ubuntu MATE its own identity but improvements have been made and some bugs have been fixed too.

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 individuals 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.

to manage, install and generate accurate colour profiles. Added ntp time synchronisation daemon.

time synchronisation daemon. Added policykit-desktop-privileges which fixes, among other things, auto mounting of disks without requiring a password.

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 hiding the im-config icon from MATE.

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.

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 .

Ubuntu MATE Beta 1 Download Join the fun and experience a retrospective future. Download

Upgrading from Alpha 2

Some of the package selections and default settings have changed since Alpha 2. If you have Alpha 2 installed, here is how to upgrade to Beta 1.

Start a shell and upgrade.

sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Remove some obsolete packages.

sudo apt-get remove adium-theme-ubuntu light-themes ubuntu-wallpapers

Overlay some Ubuntu MATE configuration files.

rsync -av /etc/skel/.config/ ~/.config/ rsync -av /etc/skel/.local/ ~/.local/

Reboot, login, start a shell and clean up.

sudo apt-get autoremove sudo apt-get autoclean

Finally set up the default Ubuntu MATE appearance.

Go to System -> Preferences -> Appearance and select the ‘Ambiant-MATE’ theme. Click the Backgrounds tab and select the ‘Ubuntu MATE Cold’ wallpaper.

Known Issues

Ubuntu MATE 14.10 is currently in beta and we are aware of the following issues.

Full disk encryption may not work. This is an upstream bug in Plymouth that can prevent your passphrase from being accepted. Home directory encryption does work.

Plymouth does not display the boot time splash screens. This is an upstream bug. LP #1343841

Currently the Try Ubuntu MATE without installing option does not work due to an upstream bug. LP #1355966

option does not work due to an upstream bug. LP #1355966 EFI computers may encounter a black screen during boot up and the system will not be usable. This is an upstream bug. LP #1353989

You may experience some video corruption when running in a VirtualBox guest. See below for a workaround.



Reporting issues

If you spot any other issues please report them on the project’s bug tracker.

Testing

Ubuntu MATE Beta 2 will be released at the end of September therefore we need people installing, using Ubuntu MATE and reporting any issues you may find on the project’s bug tracker.

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.