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Review: Ubuntu MATE 25.04
Quoting: DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD. —
I really only ran into two problems (other than Webcamoid crashing). The first was the well-known and long-standing printer installation "failed to connect to server" error, which seems to be common among most Ubuntu flavors and distros based on Ubuntu. It renders the GUI useless, even though it recognizes the printer, and forces printer installation through CUPS and localhost:631 (and even then requires patience and trial and error). Will this ever be fixed?
The second was trying to adjust the top panel to my specific needs. Yes, the weather applet (Weather Report) actually provided the correct temperature instead of just a forecast. But adding applets and rearranging them was not nearly so simple. On Xubuntu, for example, a right-click on the panel almost always provides fixes for all issues. But MATE sets up most of its applets through eight Ayatana indicator managers, so trying to delete one unnecessary applet often ends up deleting other, necessary applets that are managed through that specific Ayatana manager. The Ayatana managers are even hidden in the startup manager, to prevent easy editing.
No doubt this is to ensure that changing the panel theme and layout through the tweak tool works more easily, and maybe there's a way around this that is simple and straightforward. But I never found it, so I was stuck with applets I didn't want and was limited in adding those that I needed, like a clipboard (for which there doesn't seem to be a MATE default for the panel).
Also annoying: the panel separator applet is a skinny line that apparently can't be expanded or changed into a space, which gave me a cramped, unpleasant looking panel. Again, maybe there's a way around this, but I never found it in a week of looking.
Having said all that, these are minor - and more personal - problems. Would that most Linux distros offered these as the worst parts of the experience. That's something for all those critics who want to consolidate distros and resources to consider.