How To Install Linux Mint Mate Desktop In Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot

Despite the default absence of the Gnome desktop environment in Ubuntu 11.10, many users are still using the Gnome 3 shell or the Gnome Fall Back Session to get a Gnome 2 style user interface. Although Gnome Fallback session brings many of the Gnome 2 like user interface features, it is not the prettiest option. A better alternative to this can be to use Linux Mint 12.  A few days back Linux Mint 12 was released, which brings MATE and MGSE. For those who you who may not know about MATE, it is a fork of Gnome 2, which is also compatible with Gnome 3. MATE allows users to run both versions of Gnome on the same system. On the contrary, MGSE means “Mint Gnome Shell Extension”. MGSE, as the name suggests, is a Gnome 3 desktop with Gnome 2 like user interface. In this post I will walk you through the procedure of installing Linux Mint 12 desktop in Ubuntu 11.10.

Linux Mint Mate Desktop

In the first step, install MGSE (Mint Gnome Shell Extension) by entering this command in the Terminal.

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

This will open gedit, where you will require adding the following line at the end, without quotes.

“deb http://packages.linuxmint.com/ lisa main upstream import”

Now, enter the below commands in Terminal.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install linuxmint-keyring
sudo apt-get update

After following the procedure, MGSE and MATE will become available in Ubuntu Software Center. Search and install Mint Gnome Shell Extension and Mint Meta Mate via the Ubuntu Software Center.

Linux Mint Mate

Now, select Linux Mint Mate session to login.

Mate

If the installation fails, you can fix broken packages using Synaptic Package Manager, by locating broken packages under Custom Filters. Just mark and remove broken packages to fix the installation issues. If you get an error while running sudo add-apt-repository, and are unable to launch Ubuntu Software Center, after the installation of MGSE and MATE, then run the below Terminal command.

sudo gedit /etc/lsb-release

In the gedit window that pops-up, replace the existing text (without quotes), with the following and hit save.

“DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu

DISTRIB_RELEASE=11.10

DISTRIB_CODENAME=oneiric

DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION=”Ubuntu oneiric”

Linux Mint 12

It is recommended that you backup your system to avoid any issues, before proceeding with Linux Mint installation. To backup your system using Deja Dup Backup, see my post: How To Backup And Restore Ubuntu With Deja Dup Backup Tool.

[via Ubuntu Sharing]