Dark times are approaching for the Ubuntu family, or at least it's easy to think so if we focus on what's happening with some of its official flavors. One of them is... Ubuntu MATE, a project that did release version 25.10 (unlike Ubuntu Unity, which didn't even get that far), but he didn't manage to publish an article about new developments. It was already suspected that not everything was as rosy as it appeared in his wallpapers, and now we know what might have been happening.
martin wimpress Ubuntu MATE was created in 2014, and here I feel compelled to talk a little about the past: when Canonical switched to Unity, many of us were disappointed, partly because we had computers that couldn't handle that behemoth. Wimpress decided to create a version that recaptured the simple and lightweight experience of GNOME 2, and barely a year later it became an official flavor. Personally, it was my favorite distro until I encountered several strange bugs that I didn't feel like fixing.
Martin Wimpress abandons Ubuntu MATE due to lack of motivation
Wimpress explains his decision in a Thread posted on the official Discord server:
«I created Ubuntu MATE in 2014, and my involvement in the project is coming to an end. Perhaps you can help?
As another development cycle passes, I find myself lacking the time I once had to work on Ubuntu MATE. And, frankly, I no longer have the passion for the project I once did. When I do have time to tinker, my interests lie elsewhere.
With that in mind, I'm interested in handing the reins over to contributors who have the time and energy to work on Ubuntu MATE.«.
Among the responses, perhaps the most noteworthy was that of Tomasz Jeruzalski, a maintenance worker who is already collaborating on the project. Ubuntu Unity who seems willing to do so in Ubuntu MATE as well. The problem is obvious, or at least it should raise eyebrows that he's collaborating on a project that hasn't released version 25.10 and will likely cease to be an official flavor in the medium term. However, viewed from another perspective, we could also consider that he's someone with experience who will have the time precisely because Unity won't demand too much of him.
Ubuntu MATE 26.04 will not be LTS
It is important to note that Ubuntu MATE 26.04, which will be officially released in about three weeks, It will not be an LTS like the rest of its siblingsThe reason lies in maintenance issues: to be an LTS release, extended support must be guaranteed, which for flavored versions is usually limited to three years (five for the main version). With an uncertain future, it's best not to promise what can't be guaranteed.
This doesn't jeopardize its status as an official Ubuntu flavor. They say skipping a version, as Unity did, isn't a problem either, but skipping two versions is grounds for review and raises serious concerns. So, in principle, Ubuntu MATE isn't in danger if it finds collaborators.
In what "part" might Martin Wimpress's interests lie?
"Wimpy" has played a prominent role at Canonical since 2014. After creating Ubuntu MATE and joining the official family, he became director of the Ubuntu desktop, and even developed a tool (rolling rhinocerosThis was done so that the development version of Ubuntu would always be in the developer repositories, allowing it to be automatically updated from one version to another and becoming a rolling release. At one point, he left his position as desktop director and will now leave his position as Ubuntu MATE director.
Among his current interests, it is said that he is collaborating on NixOS, and he has a podcast called Linux MattersHe also reportedly spends time with his family. His YouTube channel hasn't received any new content for approximately two years.
In any case, Wimpress has earned the right to rest. Without it, who knows what would have become of those of us who didn't want to use the main Ubuntu version and weren't happy with other flavors. We wish it all the best.