this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2026
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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[–] koffie@lemmy.world 2 points 13 hours ago

I did use Ubuntu MATE for a while. Quite happy with it but finally couldn't resist the ~~c~~kall of KDE

[–] aim_at_me@lemmy.nz 1 points 17 hours ago

I love MATE. I left Ubuntu when Unity happened. It just never felt polished to me. I used MATE on and off since gnome 3 and unity. Currently off because I’m finally getting used to Gnome 3. And credit where credit is due, G3 is quite nice these days.

[–] ExtremeUnicorn@feddit.org 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Tried it a couple of times, wasn't my thing. Last time, I had some more serious issues with it (file manager doing weird stuff), so I tossed it for good.

Also Mate is heavily tied to the whole Ubuntu/Snap thing, so that's a bit yuckie to me.

[–] TruePe4rl@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago

I do like it, but I have sadly fallen down the tiling wm rabbit hole. It's too late now.

It has been mostly i3 for me. Not for everyone, but I like the control.

[–] phanto@lemmy.ca 15 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Dad joke time: Mostly the Aussies!

[–] ranzispa@mander.xyz 1 points 1 day ago

I thought it was mostly Argentinians

[–] Snaffy@programming.dev 5 points 2 days ago

You wot mate?

[–] ksh@aussie.zone 1 points 2 days ago

Seagulls in Finding Nemo

[–] solrize@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Wasn't MATE forked from GNOME?

[–] LeFantome@programming.dev 6 points 1 day ago

MATE exists because people loved GNOME 2 and hated GNOME 3.

[–] sushiatnight@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 days ago

GNOME 2, but yes.

[–] BananaTrifleViolin@piefed.world 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I prefer XFCE for lightweight uses (e.g. VM or raspberry Pi) and KDE for normal desktop use.

For me MATE isn't quite light enough for lightweight when XFCE is there, and no where near attractive or pleasant enough for day-to-day use when RAM/CPU use isn't a bottleneck. KDE is certainly more resource intense but up to 1gb of RAM and 1-3% CPU idle for a full featured, slick desktop environment is worth it.

I don't really see the appeal of MATE unless you strongly want a GNOME 2 desktop. In which case, yes it makes sense. Although ironically you can make a very close but modern take on GNOME 2 with KDE with modern bells and whistles if you're willing to customise KDE - it's that flexible.

[–] banazir@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I have a cup of mate every morning, yes.

Mate is one of those desktops that I occasionally consider, and it's definitely something I could see myself using. Mate is certainly a cool project and I hope it stays around. It reminds of my early days with GNOME - before the bad thing happened and darkness descended on that project.

I hope they get Wayland going eventually.

[–] LeFantome@programming.dev 4 points 1 day ago

It IS the early days of GNOME. MATE started with the source code of the last GNOME 2 release.

[–] Zen_Shinobi@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

I do. I've been on MATE for 8 or 9 years now. I like GNOME 2 environment a lot, lightweight, still looks nice, has a "classic" PC interface compared to tabletified looking icons. It just works.

[–] fratermus@piefed.social 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

In the past I've mainly used XFCE or openbox because of my old hardware. A couple years ago I picked a Debian+MATE image to install on a fresh box and have been using it by default since then.

None of that "touchscreen UI uber alles" BS.

[–] presoak@lazysoci.al 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Hey me too. Debian + mate

[–] noughtnaut@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I do! I switched from KDE 3.5 (whenever that was current). I love KDE's approach to making everything adjustable (as opposed to Gnome's "you'll get one button and you better love it") but with KDE 4 on the horizon it seemed to bloat too much for my tastes.

I love how it's a (for me) perfect mix of making a ton of things adjustable while appearing extremely no-frills. Easy on the ram, CPU, and eyes. 👌

[–] nyan@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

I switched from KDE 3.5 (whenever that was current).

Terrifyingly, I think someone is still maintaining KDE 3.5 proper for OpenSUSE. Then there's TDE, which is widely available. (But you probably mean 15-20 years ago.)

[–] presoak@lazysoci.al 5 points 2 days ago

I've been using mate basically forever. Installed it for some people. I like it better than any other.

[–] phar@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

I've jumped around a lot. Mate is great and a little more lightweight than some others. I definitely prefer Mate over Xfce. Still like KDE by far far the best, but Mate is my second.

[–] Levi@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I am at the moment, but I'm thinking of switching to XFCE.

I switched to Mate originally because Cinnamon always runs out of memory and starts slowing down over time. If they fixed the memory issues I'd probably prefer Cinnamon.

[–] winni@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

using mate on my Raspis, moved to cinnamon on anything more powerful

[–] presoak@lazysoci.al 0 points 2 days ago

What's better about cinnamon?

[–] monovergent@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 days ago

Got Debian with MATE on a couple of my computers. It's easy on the eyes and easy on system resources. I like that its file manager lets you expand folders so I have that installed on my XFCE machines too.