Ubuntu MATE 18.04 LTS will ship Familiar layout by default
Ubuntu Mate project leader Wimpy announced today that the upcoming Ubuntu MATE 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) will enable the new default page layout – “Familiar.” He said that the new layout was adjusted based on the Traditional layout, and the menu bar was adjusted to the Brisk Menu that appeared in the Ubuntu MATE version.
The reason for abandoning Traditional and enabling the Familiar interface is because the development team encountered some technical problems in advancing the upgrade of Ubuntu MATE 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver). Although the new version still offers the Traditional interface, it is no longer the default layout.
Wimpy said:
“Familiar will become the default layout for new installs of Ubuntu MATE 18.04. Traditional will continue to be shipped, unchanged, and will be available via MATE Tweak for those who prefer it.
I experimented with a change to the Traditional layout earlier in the 18.04 development cycle and this was met with some hostility and brought into question my commitment to community opinion because it strayed from something I’d previously communicated, that we would retain the Traditional layout as default.
The landscape has changed since we debated default layouts, Brisk Menu has improved considerably and Ubuntu MATE and MATE Desktop have made huge strides in supporting Super key and other modifiers as action keys just as you’d expect to use in mainstream operating systems.”
In addition to adjusting the default layout, Ubuntu MATE 18.04 LTS will also be the best release of the flavor, greatly improving support for HiDPI, better supporting Global Menu, supporting GTK+ 3 for all supported themes, and realigning software boutiques and Ubuntu MATE welcome page.
Source: ubuntu-mate.community
