Mate-Netbook like style like old Ubuntu Netbook Remix for Steam Deck and similar devices

Hi. I'm using Linux for years. Years back, I had a little netbook with 10'' screen from Asus, which running Ubuntu Netbook Remix. That Gnome 2 fork was awesome on a small screen, because, unlike modern Gnome, it did not waste screen space for empty space and gigantic icons.

Nowadays, when devices like Steam Deck become slightly more popular, maybe it will be worthy to look back and recreate that style with Mate? Possibly with some tweaks for better support of touch it will be successful?

I'm not proposing to focusing entirely on that and dropping classical mouse and keyboard experience, but on Mint and Ubuntu we have so many extra styles for desktop, like Redmond, Cupertino, Traditional… Maybe, just maybe, adding one extra, focused more on smaller screens will be not a bad idea?

I proposed a design based on old “Netbook” style, because that look was proved to be very comfortable.
Of course, old Ubuntu Netbook distros were not perfect and had many flaws, but mostly related to technical aspect (all that gnome-netbook thing was dirty hack and not always playing nice), but general idea around look and placing elements was gorgeous.

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Hi, @Greg_em and welcome to the Ubuntu MATE Community!

Hi, @Greg_em!

Ubuntu MATE used to provide a desktop layout for netbooks, but it was removed from default installations. One of its components is buggy. However, you can install the mate-netbook package and test it.

This thread may be interesting for you:

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