Ubuntu 14.04 LTs vs 16.04 Mate

Support & Help Requests
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#1

Would it be worth it when I update from regular Ubuntu, to move to the 16.04 Mate.
Is it just a graphical difference, Or would i see a possible performance increase as well.
I have a Dell Inspron 1545 laptop that I dual boot with Win Vista.
The only Linux that I have used is Ubuntu 14.04 with Unity, so I am note sure
really what might work better
Thanks
Dave

#2

Using Ubuntu Mate 16.04 LTS as opposed to standard Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, you will see a massive improvement in performance…:slight_smile:

Firstly, I would recommend reinstalling fresh with Ubuntu Mate 16.04 LTS. Having said that, if I was going to do it via upgrading, I would upgrade standard Ubuntu 14.04 LTS to standard Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. Then following that, I would install Ubuntu Mate Desktop in Standard Ubuntu 16.04 LTS from the software center or directly in a terminal.

See below for details:

But, be aware the will be lots of redundancy in your main menu as it will display applications from both desktops. Also, there will be some aspects of the way Unity does things that may bleed through into your Ubuntu Mate Desktop sessions. I am not saying it wont work. But, as I said, I would argue it is far better to start with Ubuntu Mate 16.04 LTS from scratch with a new install.

#3

I should have been more clear. if I upgrade it would be a fresh install.
Just wondered what the benefits would be.

#4

Just like the other ubuntu releases, you can try without installing. I would recommend a test drive :slight_smile:

Or if you have the room for it, triple boot. I would give it a 15G partition (for testing).

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#5

Ubuntu MATE is amazing. I’ve been using it for a few days after switching from Unity.

You can switch compositors in MATE Tweak which is one of the reasons I switched to MATE :wink:

The MATE desktop isn’t a CPU hog like other distros!

You never really have to use the terminal to get something thanks to the awesome Software Boutique!
(Unless it’s not available)

The Welcome screen makes it easy to look for updates, including for your drivers aswell.

There are many cool things with MATE. It’d be difficult to show them all.
Ubuntu MATE is definitely my favourite distro :slight_smile:

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#6

Hi @Dave_Blake,

if you have a lot of space on your hard drive, why not make partitions for an Ubuntu Mate 16.04 test run, that way you can run both 14.04 and 16.04 without first removing 14.04 and see how it runs and responds on your PC!. :thumbsup:

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#7

…or install it on an external USB harddisk, which is what I did to “test drive” Ubuntu MATE before deciding to use it as my main OS.

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