For MATE users, Debian and Ubuntu are finally migrating this desktop environment to version 1.28 for Debian Testing (Forky) and Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.
In case you don’t know or forget about the release, MATE 1.28 introduced experimental Wayland session using Wayfire.
It updated several core components, such as file manager, mate-applets, and control center, to work seamlessly with Wayland. And, it updated the codebase to ensure compatibility with the latest GTK versions.
Other changes include:
Support reading epub via Atril document viewer.
Use unar instead of cpio for CPIO archives, and support unrar-free for the archive manager.
Add new Quickhighlight plugin for pluma text editor.
Add new plugin to view the exact properties of media files in file manager.
Mouse middle-click support for mate-indicator-applet.
Double click to set mate-terminal tab title.
Add OSC 8 hyperlinks support for mate terminal.
For more about MATE 1.28, see the official release note.
I had signed up for Ubuntu Pro hoping to go a long time without a reinstall. I might have to change my mind if this works out good.