All ways I install every two years the new LTS via command line (no intermediate revisions, only updates indicated by Mate).
Normally I would install via LTS enabled and :
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo do-release-upgrade
If an LTS version will not be present April (or later) 2026, what to do, to get the most stable Mate version. An additional question, my LTS will only will be supported by Mate until 27.
The best way ?
My understanding is that the "upgrade" path is only available after the first "point" release, in June/July.
At that time, unless you hear any comments from the Community otherwise, that should work as normal.
HOWEVER ... in the current situation, I would suggest avoiding the upgrade route until someone who is Officially-associated with both
confirms on this Community Channel that the upgrade path has actually been tested and verified good!
Otherwise, IMHO, it would be too great a risk, and suggest you save full backups, Personal and Application preferences for all and perform a fresh install. But that is me being super-cautious.
Comments anyone?
(@Wimpy , @lah7 , @vkareh , @guiverc , @monsta , @raveit65 )
I've written about this many times on this, and other sites.
I'll provide a link that maybe useful, ie. Upgrade question once again - #2 by guiverc
ie.
Whether or not Ubuntu MATE 26.04 finally releases as an LTS will make no difference to the ubuntu-release-upgrader tools, as they're working on your base system, where resolute is a LTS release.
The consequence of non-LTS relates only to MATE packages & your own desktop security; a decision you need to make yourself; not your base Ubuntu system (26.04 is an LTS for the base Ubuntu system).
[ Further to this anyway; any MOTU could SRU fixes anytime in the standard support cycle; the support length gives an indication on the expected '~warranty' (guarantee) period of this happening; 5 years for packages in main, 3 for packages on LTS flavor ISOs, 9 months warranty/guarantee for other packages in universe, but that's incomplete too.... as blanket rules completely ignore that individual packages can have their own guarantees of support ]
I'm not sure what you meant by that sorry; I assume a Ubuntu Server install, then add desktop packages onto that (ie. thus converting it to a desktop install).
The point releases (ie. 24.04.4 recently released) is not a new system but just updated media for 24.04, meaning users of 24.04 were already using before the ISO release if they'd already applied all upgrades available; that is explained in release announcements as
As usual, this point release includes many updates and updated
installation media has been provided so that fewer updates will need to be downloaded after installation.
ie. point releases only impact newer installs, though I find checking that detail is useful to quick ascertain if you've applied all updates (as base-files is the last update released for a point release and that updates your version files)
There maybe no Ubuntu MATE 26.04 release...
If anyone has been watching the comms channels; "786" attempts (multiple channels & email) to reach Ubuntu MATE team have been reported as being attempted to get responses from the Ubuntu MATE lead(s) by Ubuntu Release Team, Ubuntu Technical Board & others, alas no response [from Ubuntu MATE]. I gather they're not going to try a 787th time.
( It's not a single person, teams are required to provide at minimum two contacts as 'contact' should one be unavailable )
Even a Ubuntu Unity dev (who recently joined that team) has tried to offer some help to fix an outstanding issue, as well as Debian/Ubuntu GNOME dev who made an upload & requested Ubuntu MATE dev team approve a submitted fix, but no response.... Thus those changes were rejected/unapproved, so work on spinning the RCs for the upcoming beta release of Ubuntu resolute (26.04) can occur. Getting the beta out now is the focus; for the other teams at least.
The beta release is a mandatory requirement for teams for final release; Ubuntu MATE have already missed one beta somewhat recently too (which was overlooked, but that on an LTS cycle).
The MATE desktop as packaged by upstream Debian/Ubuntu-MATE team will still be installable (it received the updates it did thanks to the GNOME dev I mentioned earlier who got that unstuck in the queue upstream in Debian sid), but no release will mean no ISOs and potentially minimal testing here on Ubuntu.
The concerns of my myself and others brought up in the other thread(s) would now appear to be well founded: UbuntuMATE has been abandoned.
As brought up by another in the other thread(s) a heads-up by the project lead(s) would have been nice if he/they were unwilling/unable to continue with the project which we all now know could have been done quite some time ago but we had complete silence then as we do now.
Might be a good idea to post this in the MATE flavors category on the Ubuntu Discourse so that as many UM users see this so that they can make an informed decision as to what they want to do when UM 24.04 reaches EOL and more so for the folks on 25.10 as they will have nothing to move onto after July if the project is truly abandoned.
Still hanging on hoping but that hope is quickly fading.
Associated with the status of the release, there is also the status of this Community host and discourse.
Would it be possible to keep this site and forum running for at least a year, to allow attempts to keep the Community together?
I wondered, for some time, about posting what I said for some time before I decided to write it.
We're very close to the beta release of resolute (26.04), and more will be public then and actually 'fact' (not just opinion!), and many bloggers will notice & write I expect, but I don't see any benefit of putting anything currently on Ubuntu Discourse. Something no doubt will come, but that will be just before, on 26.04's release, or more likely just after I'd bet. After release details will also be fact, rather than the wording I chose (expressing opinion)
Ubuntu MATE 24.04 LTS has a whole year of supported life to go, whether or not there is a Ubuntu MATE 24.04.5 ISO release I don't know, but I still see a chance for that personally (maybe like what happened with 24.04.4 though). I see no hurry there at all with a year for people to weigh what options they have. A lot can happen in that time don't forget; Ubuntu Unity is in a different situation now compared with when they made their 'plea for help'
Ubuntu MATE 25.10 will still have ~three months of supported life left when Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is released, and what I expect will happen should alert users anyway and thus I see no benefit of anything on Ubuntu Discourse until then anyway. They'll have 2.5+ months to let the news sink in & make a decision; I for one will write something if required there anyway (but I'm not expecting I'll need to).
Do I have any special knowledge - No I don't.
I'm on the Ubuntu News team, thus watch & read most of what is published & written, so I do see a lot of public stuff, let alone attending some meetings etc (for those that didn't attend; just reading published meeting notes provides a clue anyway; eg. flavor sync meetings even though everything isn't printed in them, what is there, or what isn't there provide huge clues!). I'm on other teams too, thus maybe hear elsewhere too, but being on the News team is where I pick up the bulk of my knowledge - which is why I mention that specifically.
An awful lot of comms occur in public channels anyway so anyone could be a 'spy' on the wall.
Key though is that I see no rush at all; 25.10 users will have more than two months to consider options, users of 24.04 will have almost a year, and for now what I'm expressing is only opinion - not fact.
( I mentioned stuff last year around the death/winding-down of flavors, expecting more to be published back in the plucky/25.04 cycle but it wasn't and it disappeared from discussions; I expect that stuff will be re-ignited, be discussed and suddenly be published, but we'll all have to wait & see )
I'm not associated with the release or development of the flavour, but Discourse wise:
@ubuntu-mate.org email addresses are using Improvmx - a mail redirection service. This is functional for one of the shared addresses.For hosting, I think we're fine. 
For funding, I have no access (but it is supporting infrastructure like domain costs).
For the release, I'm as clueless as the next person.
For upgrades, I assume it will just become an Ubuntu install (base + MATE) even if there was no 26.04 
flavour. It's the support level of packages that matters. 
I'm marinating my hat 
as we speak as I'm preparing to eat it. I was giving the UM team some reasonable doubt as to whether they'll get it together and release 26.04; or provide much or any updates to UM in general. But it looks like we're getting nothing. Not even Wayland.
It was a good run. Luckily Linux is in such great shape at the moment there are many other options to turn to!
I'm not a fan of fragmentation (as it causes projects like this to wither) but on the other hand at least it does mean there are alternatives.
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (resolute raccoon) BETA has been released
( That include flavors, but Ubuntu MATE was not involved/included )
Just for full disclosure (mostly because I keep being asked); I too am not associated with the release or development of the flavour, unfortunately I haven't had any contact with the project leader for quite a long time at this point.
I'm here just to support the great community we have built. I have more limited access rights than Luke does to things that could support the community if needed in the future.
And that in itself is sad because at some point in the past you both must have had contact on a regular basis.
Take a look at this:
Feedback only, not criticism!
Norm, with all honesty, those kinds of comments don't contribute anything constructive or worthwhile to the situation, regardless of how much you may feel justified in making them!
That may be what the main Ubuntu Discourse site was referring to (which I deduced from one of your postings there).
For myself, I have had to work VERY hard to refrain from letting my emotions show or affect the delivery of those messages, in order to move things forward ... constructively ... if at all.
Criticism very much brings about change.I will always criticize when criticism is necessary and in this case it was necessary.
Simply put I am not that kind of person,I will always speak my mind and never hold back except when it comes to another's personal life and life choices.And in this case I'm not questioning either of those but the timing of the announcement and in this case the fact is the timing stinks.
No, on Top, as clear as possible written !
@Norm24, your current linux live in short words.
There was a major announcement today. Please keep posts on topic and respectful.
I was referring to my own comment addressed to you, not your comment on Wimpy's.