I just downloaded the Feb 4, 2023 15.5 iso and installed it.
There is no longer the choice for MATE desktop.
This is a game changer as I support over 75 older people that use MATE desktop because it looks and feels like Window XP/Vista and they do not want to learn anything else.
I will be moving to Mint Linux if MATE is not offered any more in OpenSUSE. I have Mint Linux on a Virtual Machine and it looks and feels like OpenSUSE except for apt rather than zypper.
I don’t want to move to Tumbleweed as the updates are beyond the bandwidth of many of the old folks I support remotely. So far Tumbleweed still supports MATE.
I hope this is just and over-site as MATE was available in last years ISO but got broken with the latest update. Gnome and KDE are too complicated for older users and XFCE is too little and does not have the Gnome 2 feel that MATE is.
Change for the sake of change is not a good thing.
Microsoft Windows 11 is proof that change is not a good thing as over 50% of those that installed Windows 11 rolled back to Windows 10.
In most cases it is a matter of available space from the installation media. Many distributions aren‘t able to ship all packages on a DVD sized iso. So it is absolutely common that you need to install a (base) system and add additional packages from online repos after the base installation. Did you check that? Because as far as i can see, Mate is available in online repos for Leap 15.5
I am wondering if it was because I choose Gnome rather than generic desktop. I will reinstall and see.
I was to tired and upset last night - I will try again today.
I cannot - where is the software menu when you install 15.5 after selecting generic desktop, you can select gnome, kde, lxde - there no longer is MATE as a choice.
From the command line after choosing gnome - and installing - I did a zypper in patterns-mate-mate, logged off and selected mate as desktop - it starts but hang. Same as upgrading the old 15.5 to the latest patches.
I have the old 15.5 still working before it it just starts and everything that is in the startup scripts opens in the top left corner of the X11 screen and no panel appears and you cannot move any apps or select a different app.
I’ve switched both my Leap, 15.4 and 15.5, from MATE to a minimal KDE desktop. Try installing only “KDE Plama 5 Desktop Base”. You’ll have to add a few packages like konsole, etc., but you won’t get all the bloat of KDE.
I forgot to add, install that pattern with --no-recommends, you can uncheck recommends in yast to achieve that. Also, since MATE seems to be stagnating, I plan on switching my Tumbleweed installations to minimal KDE soon.
Don’t use your old scripts, just create new ones in KDE in Settings > Startup. The more I use KDE, the more I like it. Just be sure to set the solver to requires in /etc/zypp/zypp.conf, or the first dup you do will shock you.
That is where I created them KDE Setting>Startup - they do not open a terminal and execute required commands at bootup.
KDE also will not fit in the 32GB partitions that their older computers have. Not everyone had a new computer. Those old 64 bit core 2 duo are still in use. They came with 10gb and 20gb drives standard. I fitted them with 40gb ssd hard drives 14 years ago. None have enough money to modernize. Social Security barely pay for food and they use public hotspots with all but port 80 disabled to prevent attacks.
MATE looks like XP and that is all they can barely make work - email and firefox is all they do - I auto update their machines with a script they fetch from my support machine.
