I want to preface this by saying that I do acknowledge that my view is one of many, and that some many disagree with me. I also acknowledge that there are people who view technology more conservatively (not in the political sense) and are fine with older technologies that "just worked" (I'm personally that way when it comes to Windows). I also recognize that my background in the Linux space will differ from others and contributes to my particular viewpoint; I used Linux back in middle school when I got Ubuntu 13.04 on a DVD from a magazine when Unity was the default desktop environment, and I have used Ubuntu along with macOS since.
While I know that a good portion of the user base uses Ubuntu MATE for nostalgic reasons, I feel that Ubuntu MATE is more geared towards a modern and pragmatic approach to Linux and computing with a retrospective desktop rather than to serve the nostalgia purely and without any change. This seems like a good approach to take, as new users can get Ubuntu MATE up and running with little effort and start using their computer without any extra setup (for the most part). Additionally, Ubuntu MATE offers some great tools for new users like the Welcome app and MATE Tweak to help them get familiarized well.
I'd like to also (re)iterate on some opinions I've shared on some related topics:
- The Software Boutique does feel like it falls short as a general purpose package manager GUI, but for the purpose of helping new users find common software with ease, it works well enough.
- There are only a small handful of apps that are Snaps; I personally take no issue with Snaps, seeing how easy it is to make one and distribute an app quickly across distributions. Yes, snaps do have some issues of their own, but most of them don't really bother me. I do dislike Flatpaks because of their theming issues (which Snaps works a lot better in), but it is what it is, and I will use them if I have to.
- The Yaru theme provides a decent modern look to any system, though I do personally wish that the padding was trimmed down a bit, at least for the MATE-specific changes. Likewise, the Ambiant and Radiant themes are still pretty good, and I know the TraditionalOk/Yaru mix is being actively developed here.
I'd like to provide the following as a concluding point. We all have different opinions on Ubuntu MATE and what should be the default, what technologies we should develop further and which ones to abandon, and where some distributions fall short. But it's important for us to keep a healthy discussion about it and not turn it into a political turf war. I've seen many discussions go on the wayside like this in various subjects ranging from US politics and government to education, and it isn't all that helpful; it gets everyone riled up, and the polarization intensifies. Please, remember there's a human behind the wall of text you read on the screen. They may share different opinions and have different values than you, but that doesn't make them any less of a person. If I'm not mistaken, that's the whole point of ubuntu: humanity towards others.