14 DAY TRIAL // Softpedia has just been informed by Martin Wimpress, the leader of the Ubuntu MATE project, about the immediate availability of the second Beta build of the upcoming Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) operating system.
Release highlights of Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS Beta 2 include full integration of Synapse, the GNOME Do application launcher replacement, with the MATE desktop environment, though it's not enabled by default. MATE Tweak has been updated to version 3.5.8, bringing support for enabling Synapse, and multiple bug fixes.
Plank, the dock-like app, has been updated to version 0.11, a release that adds support for docklets, and a new theme for Ubuntu MATE. Other in-house built apps have been updated as well, and among them we can mention MATE Menu 5.6.9, Ubuntu MATE Welcome 16.04.6, Ubuntu MATE Settings 16.04.4, and MATE Dock Applet 0.70.
"We are preparing Ubuntu MATE Xenial Xerus (16.04) for distribution on April 21st, 2016 With this Final Beta pre-release, you can see what we are trying out in preparation for our next (stable) version," said Martin Wimpress. "Also, thank you to everyone who has been testing Ubuntu MATE 16.04 Beta 1 and filing bug reports."
The Ubuntu MATE Ubiquity installer ships with updated artwork
Besides all the goodies mentioned above, the second and final Beta build of Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) comes with updated artwork for the Ubiquity installer, improvements to the Python plugins for the Caja file manager, the Cheese webcam viewer instead of guvcview, and fixes for im-config and gnome-language-selector.
Last but not least, there are numerous user interface refinements, like faster rendering of icons in menus, updated scrollbars and buttons, the implementation of shadows and resize area for CSD (client-side decorations) windows, a new wallpaper called "Blissful Sky," and numerous small improvements.
Download the Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS Beta 2 64-bit, 32-bit, and PowerPC (PPC) ISO images right now from our website, and make sure that you read the release notes in full, as you won't be able to upgrade from Ubuntu 14.04 LTS right now because of a bug that will be fixed before the final release on April 21, 2016.
