Ubuntu MATE is a new flavor based on Ubuntu that will see an official launch alongside all the other regular ones on October 23, and it's very likely that it will steal the show.

Interestingly enough, Ubuntu MATE is not yet an official flavor, although the request has been made and the wheels are in motion. The project has seen great interest right from the start, and it looks like it's about to become one of the most important Ubuntu variations.

So far, the developers of the new distro have followed the other releases in the cycle, even if they had no obligation to do so. Each new version they put out is even better than the previous ones and the new OS is quite different from what you would expect. There are other Linux distributions that use the MATE desktop environment, but they share only a general resemblance with the Ubuntu counterpart.

Ubuntu 14.10 might not be all that exciting

We wrote a while ago that some users might feel that the new Ubuntu 14.10 release won't be very interesting and that it might be called "boring." It wouldn't be the first time, but now at least we have the MATE flavor to keep us entertained.

Even if Ubuntu MATE doesn't become an official member of the family in time for the October 23 release of the Utopic Unicorn, the developers will still launch a stable version. It's something new, it's fresh, and it has all the qualities it needs to steal the show.

What's so special about Ubuntu MATE?

The new Linux distribution is based on MATE 1.8.1, which is also the latest version of the desktop environment. This is very good news for users who want to have only the latest packages. It also helps that one of the Ubuntu MATE devs is also a developer for the MATE project.

Ubuntu MATE is an OS built for all kinds of users, but the main target are the people how really liked how the old GNOME 2 looked and behaved. MATE will let users capture some of that lost atmosphere, although this is a modern desktop environment and it has all the amenities that you would expect.

It's easy to test Ubuntu MATE on your system. The developers have a Beta version out already, in line with all the other Ubuntu releases and it's pretty stable. Just download it and give it spin, you won't be disappointed.