news
Ubuntu MATE’s founder is stepping back after 12 years and LinuxConfig covers APT in Ubuntu
-
OMG Ubuntu ☛ Ubuntu MATE’s founder is stepping back after 12 years
Ubuntu MATE is looking for a new maintainer, with current project lead Martin Wimpress revealing he no longer has the ‘passion’ for the project he once had – nor the time, it seems. Wimpress created Ubuntu MATE back in 2014, pairing Ubuntu with the traditional MATE desktop, created as a fork of the old GNOME 2 codebase but now very much its own thing.
-
LinuxConfig ☛ What Is New in APT 3.1 on Ubuntu 26.04
-
LinuxConfig ☛ Complete APT Package Management Guide for Ubuntu 26.04
FOSS Force:
-
Martin Wimpress Wants Out at Ubuntu MATE - FOSS Force
After about a dozen years at the helm of the Linux distribution he started, Martin Wimpress says it’s time for somebody else to take charge at Ubuntu MATE.
He started the distro in October 2014. About three years previously, in April 2011, GNOME 3 had been released, which had been disliked by a large number of GNOME users. About two months after that, Argentine developer Germán Perugorría forked GNOME 2 to create MATE, which quickly became quite popular. After that, Wimpress created Ubuntu MATE, which eventually became an official Ubuntu flavor.
Neowin:
-
Ubuntu MATE lead Martin Wimpress steps down and seeks a successor after 12 years - Neowin
The maintainer of Ubuntu MATE, Martin Wimpress, has started the search for new people to maintain the project after 12 years. Wimpress, whom you may remember from the Ubuntu Podcast several years ago, has said he now lacks time to work on Ubuntu MATE, and even if he did have the time, he no longer has the passion for the project that he had when he began the work.
For those that don’t know, Canonical maintains its standard version of Ubuntu, and then community members maintain spins, essentially working for free. Some of these spins are more official than others, with Ubuntu MATE becoming an official flavor in 2015. In 2016, it released its first long-term support release.
When Canonical shifted to the Unity Desktop away from GNOME 2, many people were not happy. Ubuntu MATE was born out of this desire to be able to continue using GNOME 2 technologies and continue their development. Obviously, computer hardware has come a very long way in the last 12 years, making modern iterations of GNOME easy to run. GNOME has also become much more usable compared to the early days of GNOME 3, and there are distributions like Linux Mint MATE that offer users a solid choice of operating systems
More here in GOL:
-
Ubuntu MATE seeking maintainers as the creator looks to move on | GamingOnLinux
Developer Martin Wimpress has announced their intention to move on from Ubuntu MATE, and so the distribution is looking for fresh faces.
It's FOSS:
-
"I No Longer Have the Passion" Ubuntu MATE Creator Wants to Hand Over Project
Martin Wimpress created Ubuntu MATE back in 2014. A fork of the classic GNOME 2, MATE was preferred by people who liked the traditional desktop layout and disliked the newer GNOME 3 design.
Ubuntu MATE was made an official Ubuntu flavor in 2015 and soon gained a fairly decent sized user base.
Things were going well until they were not. Like many side projects created as a hobby, the passion can fade over time or the work may no longer feel challenging enough.
Eventually, Martin decided to step away.
Back then, Martin was working at Canonical as an Engineering Director. He no longer works at Canonical, the parent company of Ubuntu.
Linux Magazine:
-
Ubuntu MATE Dev Leaving After 12 years » Linux Magazine
Over on the Ubuntu Discourse server, Martin Wimpress had this to say: "As another development cycle passes, I find myself lacking the time I once had to work on Ubuntu MATE. And, to be frank, I don’t have the passion for the project that I once had. When I have time to tinker, my interests are elsewhere."
To that end, Wimpress is now searching for someone to take the lead on Ubuntu MATE.
Wimpress also stated: "If you are an Ubuntu contributor with experience maintaining packages in the Ubuntu archive and are interested in working on Ubuntu MATE, let me know. I’ve posted a similar message in the Ubuntu Flavours channel on Matrix."
That's right: If you're a developer looking to jump on board to maintain a popular Ubuntu spin, now's your chance.