Configuring the MATE environment

The MATE desktop environment is the continuation of GNOME 2. It provides an intuitive and attractive desktop environment using traditional metaphors for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. The latest version of MATE (1.20) was released on 07-02-2018, which added a lot of fixes and upgraded the theme.

The complete list of features can be viewed here: https://mate-desktop.org/blog/2018-02-07-mate-1-20-released/.

In this recipe, we will learn how to install MATE on Kali Linux.

How to do it...

1. We start by using the following command to install the MATE environment:

apt-get install desktop-base mate-desktop-environment

2. Type Y when it asks for confirmation on additional space requirements.
3. When installation is complete, we will use the following command to set MATE as our default environment:

update-alternatives --config x-session-manager

4. Choose the mate-session option (in our case, 2) and press Enter:

5. Log out and log in again, and we will see the MATE environment:

Now let's have a look at the configuration of LXDE environment.