MATE Desktop Environment – the continuation of GNOME 2

Last Updated on July 11, 2021

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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