After 5 months of development the MATE Desktop team are proud to announce the release of MATE Desktop 1.12. We’d like to thank every MATE contributor and user.

What’s new in MATE 1.12

The headline changes in MATE 1.12 are:

• Fixes and improvements for GTK3 support across the entire MATE Desktop including GTK 3.18 support.
• Touchpad support is significantly improved and now features multi touch and natural scrolling.
• Multi monitor support has been improved so the display settings use output names and the revised UI lets you set the primary monitor.
• The power applet now displays model and vendor information so you can distinguish between multiple battery powered devices.
• Improved session management which now includes screensaver inhibition while playing media.
  • MATE now listens to the org.gnome.SessionManager namespace.
• Extended systemd support.
• Long standing bugs and many little usability paper-cuts were fixed.
  • For example, panel applets are no longer reordered when changing screen resolutions.
• Translations updated and a number of components now retrieve strings directly from gschema (requires intltool 0.50.1).
• Dropped support for win32 and osx.

The various components of MATE 1.12 are available for download here:

• https://pub.mate-desktop.org/releases/1.12/

Screenshots

• MATE 1.12 Screenshots

Changelog

Here is a more detailed break down of what has changed.

mate-common

• Support lcov 1.12
• Update documentation and examples

mate-desktop

• Require dconf 0.13.4 and xrandr 1.3
• Add gsettings key to toggle overlay scrolling in GTK+3
• Add some icons to fix missing icons in GTK+3 with custom icon theme
• Mouse schema: enable middle-click emulation by default
• RR: implement missing mate_rr_output_get_possible_crtcs function
• RR: fix laptop identification by output name
• RR: show output name in addition to display name
• Moved docbook user guide to a separate project
• Dropped dependency on yelp (not needed after moving user guide)

libmatekbd

• Add GObject introspection
• Layout view/print dialog: remove useless Help button
• Layout view/print dialog: some UI fixes

libmatemixer

• oss: Only use modify counter for polling on Linux, it is broken on BSDs
• alsa: Fix FTBFS with old versions of ALSA
• alsa: Fix fade

libmateweather

• Location updates for timezones

mate-icon-theme

• Don’t build a pkgconfig file

Caja

• Connect to server dialog: add support for AFP
• Improve multi-monitor support

mate-polkit

• Add support for GTK3 application indicators.

Marco

• Add manual and by-pointer window placement
• Use Alt-` for switching between windows of the same application

mate-settings-daemon

• Add new keybinding for logout (empty by default)
• Touchpad settings: added support for natural scrolling, 2 finger and 3 finger clicks
• Mouse: use syndaemon -K to ignore Ctrl+C and other combos
• GTK+3: make xrandr tray applet support custom panel themes

mate-session-manager

• Add support for an optional dock, such as Plank
• Add support for new libsystemd in addition to existing libsystemd-login
• Only wait 1 second max on logout/shutdown
• Turn GTK+3 overlay scrolling on/off on start using new gsettings key

mate-menus

• Use pkg-config to check for python (requires python 2.7)

mate-panel

• Require xrandr 1.3
• Add option to enable/disable week numbers in calendar
• Fix positions of locked applets on screen resolution change
• GTK+3: add a style class for applets to follow panel-menu-bar

mate-themes

• GTK3 all themes: style volume/brightness applet slider
• Assorted improvements and refinements for all themes, in particular for GTK 3.18.

mate-notification-daemon

• Fix height and visibility of themes in gtk3
• Multiple theme fixes

mate-control-center

• Appearance: restored Interface tab
• Display: added support to set the primary monitor
• Display: show output names in addition to display names
• Keybindings: added keybinding for logout
• Touchpad settings: add option to enable/disable touchpad
• Touchpad settings: added support for natural scrolling, 2 finger and 3 finger clicks
• Improved categorization
• GTK+3: fix font rendering in Appearance and mate-font-viewer

mate-screensaver

• Add support for libsystemd in addition to existing libsystemd-login support.
• Don’t fade to black when locking the screen
• Fix systemd event handling

mate-media

• Multiple fixes in manpages
• GTK+3: add style classes for slider and menu for volume-applet
• GTK+3: fix missing icons with custom icon theme

mate-power-manager

• Require xrandr 1.3
• Show vendor/model information for devices
• Fix backlight adjustment on Macbook Pro
• GTK+3: support custom themes
• GTK+3: fix brightness applet behavior

mate-system-monitor

• SysInfo: add proper detection for Linux Mint and LMDE
• SysInfo: let distributions define custom side image
• Interface: add border to notebook
• Add support for libsystemd in addition to existing libsystemd-login support
• Support build with C++11
• Drop useless dependency on mate-icon-theme
• Drop C89 support

Atril

• Drop support for win32, osx and hildon
• Drop useless mate-icon-theme dependency
• Drop embedded MathJax in favor of using a distribution packaged version
• Make smclient mandatory

caja-extensions

• Some string fixes

Engrampa

• Fix ngettext usage in progress dialog
• Make extracting multiple archives to a separate dir actually work
• Fixed overwrite check when the files to be extracted are inside a folder

Eye of MATE

• Assorted bug fixes.

mate-applets

• Accessx-status, geyes: have applet background automatically painted
• Cpufreq: make cpupower the default library
• Drop useless dependency on mate-icon-theme
• GTK+3: fix missing icons with custom icon theme
• GTK+3: make cpufreq, charpick and drivemount support custom panel themes

mate-netbook

• Window Picker Applet: have background automatically painted

mate-netspeed

• Have applet background automatically painted
• Add silent rules

mate-sensors-applet

• Add support for nvidia thermal and cooler sensors (requires libxnvctrl >= 256.25)
• Add mbmon plugin
• Make udisks plugin poll for new value

mate-terminal

• Fix —tab option that has been broken in 1.10.0
• Enable silent rules by default
• Drop support for win32 and osx

mate-user-share

• Drop useless dependency on dbus-1
• Drop Apache 2.0 support

mate-utils

• Add application icon to mate-system-log
• Add timestamp instead of window name to screenshot filenames by default
• Have dictionary applet background automatically painted
• Translation fixes for gsettings schemas

Mozo

• Enable startup notification
• Add silent rules

Pluma

• Add --enable-tests option to enable/disable running tests during the build
• Add plugin to strip trailing spaces on saving
• Bring back active plugins listing in bugreport script
• Drop support for win32 and osx and the checkupdate plugin
• Capitalize Pluma in window titles and desktop file
• GTK3. fix print-preview
• Some annotation fixes

caja-dropbox

• Adjust the default caja extensions dir
• Include autogen.sh in tarball

After 15 months of development the MATE Desktop team are proud to announce the release of MATE Desktop 1.10. We would like to thank every MATE contributor and user.

What’s new in MATE 1.10

The headline changes in MATE 1.10 are:

• Every component of MATE can now be built with GTK2 and GTK3.
  • GTK3 support is still considered experimental
  • Arch Linux and Fedora currently offer alternative GTK3 builds.
• [GSoC 2014] Caja now has an extension manager so plugin can be enabled/disabled at run-time.
• [GSoC 2014] Atril now supports ePub.
• [GSoC 2014] libmatemixer, an audio mixer library for MATE desktop, has been introduced.
  • Provides an abstract API allowing access to mixer functionality available in the PulseAudio, ALSA and OSS sound systems.
• Static code analysis has resulted in many memory leaks being plugged.
• Theme support has been expanded to GTK 3.8 to 3.16 including CSD and pop-over support.

The various components of MATE 1.10 are available for download here:

• https://pub.mate-desktop.org/releases/1.10/

Screenshots

• MATE 1.10 Screenshots

Changelog

Here is a more detailed break down of what has changed.

mate-common

• Added support for automake 1.15
• Added support for lcov 1.11
• Migrated to glib-gettexize if using GLib gettext
• Check for appdata-xml.m4 with APPDATA_XML

mate-desktop

• Migrated MateRRScreen, GnomeRRConfig and GnomeOutputInfo to GObject.
• Added GObject Introspection
• Added automatic-mnemonics key for GTK xsetting
• Added MateAboutDialog class to have traditional about dialog with GTK3
• Added MateColorButton class to have traditional color selection dialog with GTK3
• Added org.mate.debug GSettings schema
• Uses GDK_WINDOW_XID for inter-GTK compatibility
• Updated mpaste for website change
• Updated translations
• Removed desktop-docs
• Removed user guide
• Removed libunique optional dependency
• Assorted RANDR fixes

libmatekbd

• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

libmatemixer

libmatemixer is a new mixer library for MATE desktop. It provides an abstract API allowing access to mixer functionality available in the PulseAudio, ALSA and OSS sound systems.

• Initial release

libmateweather

• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

mate-icon-theme

• Added more icons
• Added new symbolic icons

Caja

• Added a plugin manage to allow extensions to be enabled/disabled at runtime
• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

mate-polkit

• Updated translations

Marco

• Use zenity instead of mate-dialogs
• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

mate-settings-daemon

• Migrated to MateRR* API changes.
• Migrated media-keys plugin to libmatemixer
• Updated translations
• Removed GStreamer and made libmatemixer, libcanberra and PulseAudio optional dependencies

mate-session-manager

• Disabled upower support by default, use --enable-upower if you need it
• Updated translations

mate-menus

• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

mate-panel

• Fixed the size of the showdesktop icon.
• Fixed deprecated use of GDK pointer API (GTK3)
• Migrated all GtkStyle to GtkStyleContext (GTK3)
• Migrated gtk_rc_parse_string to GtkCssProvider (GTK3)
• GDK_KEY_* is also used in Gtk+ 2.24.x
• Removed the vbox from panel-addto as it is deprecated
• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes
  • Check allocated size before creating the shadow pixbuf in the clock.
  • Disconnect show and deactivate menu signals before destroying the applet menu
  • Handling of SYSTEM_TRAY_CANCEL_MESSAGE
  • Correct implicit declaration of function of gdk_x11_set_sm_client_id
  • Added a gtkimage with the current pixbuf to button-widget
  • Use gtk icon cache instead of custom one

mate-backgrounds

• Added Ubuntu MATE wallpapers without branding
• Added new MATE-Stripes-Dark.png, MATE-Stripes-Light.png wallpapers

mate-themes

• Added support for GTK 3.16, 3.14, 3.12, 3.10 and 3.8.
• Added many improvements for MATE GTK3 applications
• Added transition effects to buttons and menuitems when using GTK3
• Added support for CSD applications
• Added support for popovers
• Enable window shadows for CSD applications
• Enable regular icons for window controls
• Disable use of symbolic icons
• Use mate logo for spinner animation
• Refactor GreenLaguna
• Refactor ContrastHigh themes
• TraditionalOKTest is installable with normal configure flags
• Many other fixes and refinements

mate-notification-daemon

• Assorted bug fixes
• Updated translations

mate-control-center

• Added option to configure titlebar buttons layout
• Added support for metacity-theme-2.xml
• Added support for office applications in Preferred Applications
• Migrated to MateRR* API changes
• Updated translations

mate-screensaver

• Migrated to MateRR* API changes
• Updated translations

mate-media

• Removed PulseAudio dependency
• Removed gst-mixer and gst-mixer-applet
• Updated mate-volume-control:
  • Migrated from PulseAudio to libmatemixer
  • Allow selecting input and output connectors
  • Speaker test widget now contains a Close button
  • Device and stream lists are now sorted
  • Do not show icons when on a vertical panel
  • Allow clicking in the popup window
• Updated translations

mate-power-manager

• Added support for upower 0.99+
• Updated translations
• Removed udisks dependency

mate-system-monitor

• Back ported improvements from GNOME System Monitor
• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

Atril

• Added epub support
• Added xz compression support
• Added rotate with CTRL+left and CTRL+right in presentation mode
• Added support for bsdtar to the comics backend.
• Added support pdf.xz files to the PDF backend.
• Added support for external links to EvViewPresentation
• Added EvBookmarks to handle internal document bookmarks
• Added support for OCG State actions to the PDF backend
• Added saving the zoom factor in default settings when sizing mode is free
• Added png extension when saving images using drag & drop
• Added timestamp parameter to SyncView
• Added ini file for Caja extension
• Added appdata file
• Implemented document_links_find_link_page() in the PDF backend
• Implemented document_links_find_link_page() in the djvu backend
• Migrated to find_link_page() instead of find_link_dest() in get_dest_page()
• Fixed remembering the current page when document is reloaded in presentation mode
• Fixed resolving named destinations in the PDF backend
• Fixed sidebar-thumbnails to connect to job finished signal before scheduling the job
• Fixed drawing glyphs with transparency in the DVI backend
• Fixed several security issues in the DVI backend
• Fixed several accessibility issues.
• Fixed segmentation faults and many memory leaks
• Updated to poppler 0.16.0 API changes
• Migrated to MateAboutDialog from libmate-desktop
• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

caja-extensions

• Added new ‘Set as wallpaper’ extension
• Re-introduced the option to select send-to plugins to build
• Updated translations

Engrampa

• Added compressing of iso images and tar archives from the Caja menu
• Added overwrite confirmation dialog when extracting files with drag & drop
• Added keywords key to .desktop file
• Added ini file for Caja extension
• Added engrampa.appdata.xml
• Fixed opening RAR files inside a RAR file
• Fixed errors with some password protected files
• Fixed loading of multi-volume RAR archives with 7zip
• Fixed crash when clicking Cancel in Add Files
• Fixed hyphen-as-minus-sign issues for engrampa.1 man page
• Fixed memory leaks
• Removed support for Gtk+ < 2.24
• Removed support for Glib < 2.32
• Use Caja GSettings schema optionally
• Use g_get_user_config_dir instead of hardcoded ~/.config/mate
• Use GtkRecentAction objects to create the recent file choosers
• Do not set the selected app as the system default
• Do not set the “last output” dialog as modal to allow the user to resize it
• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

Eye of MATE

• Back ported improvements from Eye of GNOME
• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

mate-applets

• Migrated to MateAboutDialog from libmate-desktop
• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

mate-netbook

• Fixed Windows Picker applet forcibly changing Maximus settings
• Migrated to MateAboutDialog from libmate-desktop
• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

mate-netspeed

• Added network load graph made similar to MATE System Monitor graphs
• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

mate-sensors-applet

• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

mate-terminal

• Migrated to common function in libmate-desktop
• Updated translations

mate-user-share

• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

mate-utils

• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

Mozo

• Updated translations

Pluma

• Migrated to MateAboutDialog from libmate-desktop
• Updated translations
• Assorted bug fixes

python-caja

• Added About Extension button to the Extensions tab in Caja
• Assorted bug fixes

The MATE Desktop maintainers for Fedora are pleased to announce that experimental GTK3 builds are available for testing on Fedora 21 and Fedora 22. These GTK3 build do work but have some minor rendering issues, we’d value your feedback.

Installation

Install the repo file and do a yum update.

Fedora 22

$ wget https://copr.fedoraproject.org/coprs/raveit65/Mate-GTK3/repo/fedora-22/raveit65-Mate-GTK3-fedora-22.repo
$ sudo cp raveit65-Mate-GTK3-fedora-22.repo /etc/yum.repos.d/
$ sudo yum update

Fedora 21

$ wget https://copr.fedoraproject.org/coprs/raveit65/Mate-GTK3/repo/fedora-21/raveit65-Mate-GTK3-fedora-21.repo
$ sudo cp raveit65-Mate-GTK3-fedora-21.repo /etc/yum.repos.d/
$ sudo yum update

Or use dnf command:

$ sudo dnf copr enable raveit65/Mate-GTK3
$ sudo dnf update

Reporting issues

Please use the MATE Desktop issue tracker on GitHub and include ‘GTK3 and Fedora’ in subject.

• https://github.com/mate-desktop

Some notes:

• Compiz will only work with emerald as window-decorator.
• Do not use use a mix of GTK2 packages from Fedora stable and GTK3 packages from the repo above.
• Do not use the following MATE applications with a GTK3 build of MATE; they aren’t ported to GTK3:
  • mintMenu and MATE Menu
  • mate-applet-streamer
  • mate-applet-lockkeys
  • mate-applet-softupd
  • caja-terminal

I was fortunate enough to be invited on to Episode 347 of the Linux Action Show to talk a little about MATE Desktop, where it came from and where it is headed. The interview with me is embedded below.

I wasn’t able to cover all the development objectives of MATE 1.10 in the time available so I recommend you take a look at the MATE Roadmap for a complete overview. If you should have any additional questions, or would like to contribute to the project, then we look forward to chatting with you in the #mate IRC channel or reviewing your pull-requests on GitHub.

Jupiter Broadcasting produce a number of weekly videocasts and podcasts mostly oriented around FLOSS. Take a look, you may find something that interests you.

Linux Luddites were kind enough to interview me last week. We discussed the origins of MATE Desktop, it’s future direction, how Ubuntu MATE came to be and where it is headed.

Linux Luddites Episode #26 was published earlier today and I suggest you head over to the Linux Luddites website and give it a listen.

• Linux Luddites Episode #26

If you’ve not listened to the Linux Luddites before then you should checkout their back catalog. It has been one of my favourite FLOSS podcasts for some months now that blends good discussion and insight with useful distro reviews and first impressions.

Sander Sweers has released several updated packages for the MATE 1.8 series that addresses an assortment of bug fixes and minor updates. Some distributions have already incorporated these updates and the others will follow in due course. See below for the changes:

atril 1.8.1

• Fixed crash when clicking empty canvas while loading
• Fixed FTBFS when building with the clang compiler
• Added keywords key to .desktop files

caja 1.8.2

• Fixed text rendering on no background
• Limit deep scount (folder contents and size) to one file system
• Handle metadata key deletions
• Propagate button-release event when ejecting

engrampa 1.8.1

• Fixed opening files inside .rar files
• Fixed possible errors with some password protected .rar files
• Added keywords key to .desktop file
• Updated several man pages
• Do not set the selected app as the system default

eom 1.8.1

• Fixed hyphen-as-minus-sign issues
• Updated scrollbars when display is resized in “normal size” mode

marco 1.8.2

• Fixed issues with maximized Java applications
• Added _GTK_FRAME_EXTENTS hints for GTK3

mate-applets 1.8.1

• Fixed file encoding
• Added and updated several man pages
• Updated policykit vendor URL

mate-control-center 1.8.3

• Fixed typo in togglekeys-enable (a11y)
• Fixed segfault with custom key bindings
• Added support for metacity-2 themes in appearance capplet
• Added several man pages
• Added keywords key to .desktop files
• Updated Marco WM name

mate-netbook 1.8.1

• Fixed segfault on applet load
• Added man page

mate-panel 1.8.1

• Fixed “Add to Panel” context menu with multiple monitors

mate-power-manager 1.8.1

• Fixed “levels is 0” warning if no kbd backlight present
• Added support for upower-0.99 API
• Added keywords key to .desktop file
• Removed “battery recall” logic

mate-screen-saver 1.8.1

• Fixed segfault in the absence of XRANDR

mate-settings-daemon 1.8.2

• Replace googlemusicframe with nuvolaplayer
• Updated schema to use toggle shell script

mate-system-tools 1.8.1

• Fixed process liboobs errors in the callback function of mate-users-admin
• Fixed possible segfault on exit for mate-users-admin

mate-terminal 1.8.1

• Fixed opening new terminal in a tab
• Added colon to PATHCHARS_CLASS for URL detection

mate-utils 1.8.1

• Added keywords key to .desktop files
• Fixed several man pages
• Fixed gsearchtool format-security warning

python-caja 1.8.1

• Now uses pkg-config for python detection and variables

Thanks to the efforts of the MATE package maintainers for Debian MATE 1.8.1 is available in Debian Jessie (testing) and also Debian backports for Wheezy.

As a result of MATE 1.8.1 hitting the Debian testing repositories earlier this year, MATE 1.8.1 is also in the official archive for Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic Unicorn. The Ubuntu MATE team have recently created a MATE 1.8.1 PPA for Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr at the request of the Ubuntu Technical Board and also a MATE 1.8.1 PPA for Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin

If you require MATE packages for Debian or Ubuntu then the package repositories above are the official repositories to use.

We’ve removed the package repositories hosted on mate-desktop.org because some were unsigned and others have not been maintained for many months. Therefore, as of now, the Debian and Ubuntu package repositories hosted on mate-desktop.org have been removed.

The openSUSE MATE team is proud to announce the availability of MATE 1.8 for openSUSE. The patterns are not available anymore, and won’t be in the future due to official inclusion of MATE in openSUSE. We can’t support openSUSE 12.2 anymore, MATE requirements are not provided in the right versions in that one. We have changed our schema of repositories, to avoid people having to change their repositories for each update. Now there is just one place, X11:MATE:Current.

To install it, please replace or add our repository:

https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/X11:/MATE:/Current/

After several weeks of review the application and selection period for the 2014 Google Summer of Code (GSoC) is over. 4,420 students proposed a total of 6,313 projects for this summer. From those, 1,307 students have been accepted and the MATE Desktop project is one of the 190 Open Source projects that will be working with students this year.

In our second year as a GSoC mentor organisation the MATE team received 4 student proposals we were allocated 3 slots for student projects.

I’m delighted to introduce our GSoC students for 2014:

• Avishkar Gupta will be working on adding ePub rendering capabilities to Atril, the document viewer of the MATE desktop.
• Michal Ratajsky will be working on adding GStreamer 1.0 support into the MATE desktop environment in order to replace the dependency on the deprecated GStreamer 0.10 library.
• Alexander van der Meij will be working on improving Caja extensions so they can be integrated during runtime and also create a single user interface for Caja extension configuration.

Please join me in welcoming these new contributors to the MATE team and wish them every success with their respective projects for the summer.

On behalf on the entire MATE team I’d also like to extend our thanks and gratitude to openSUSE who are our GSoC organiser for 2014. They did a fantastic job in helping secure these GSoC placements for the MATE team that will provide much need development resources to the project.