Is It Safe to Install Mate DE on Ubuntu 14.04?

[light_yagami2]

Hello. I installed Gnome 3 before on Ubuntu Unity 14.04, and it completely messed up Unity. I was wondering. If I were to install Mate, would it mess up unity?

Thanks! (I'm a total newb)

[TheFu]

The installation of programs shouldn't cause any issues - gnome3, unity, Mate, whatever.

The issue is with config files that get re-used. To avoid that issue, create new userids for each DE and login under the userid you want to configure for use with the new DE until you are certain it is the one you'd like to make permanent. If you find that you don't like it, simply delete the userid and the HOME for that userid - no harm done. Make sense?

[light_yagami2]

The installation of programs shouldn't cause any issues - gnome3, unity, Mate, whatever.

The issue is with config files that get re-used. To avoid that issue, create new userids for each DE and login under the userid you want to configure for use with the new DE until you are certain it is the one you'd like to make permanent. If you find that you don't like it, simply delete the userid and the HOME for that userid - no harm done. Make sense?
Yep :KS I was able to switch to MATE with no problem :D

[yoshii]

I'm not sure if this is relevant or not, but I installed MATE on Ubuntu Studio (which is a lot like Xubuntu). I had trouble completely removing MATE later on. I just didn't like it as much as Xfce, but I was stuck with a lot of MATE stuff still hanging around. It does depend upon which syntax you use to install MATE though.

[Akimoge]

Yes, i have installed Unity and MATE together. Works fine.

[oldrocker99]

There is Ubuntu MATE, which I'm running (16.04 beta2) and it has a great deal to recommend it, especially including the software installer on the welcome screen, which is, AFAIK, the only DE that has it.