I'm trying to install Mate on a Ubuntu 16.04 desktop. Currently it's using Unity, but that's too much for this machine. Mate will make it usable again. I've done this on another machine, where it all worked without adding a repository. Here it doesn't work.
$ sudo apt-get install mate-desktop-environment
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package mate-desktop-environment
I've tried all these:
sudo apt update
sudo apt dist-upgrade
sudo apt install mate
sudo apt install mate-desktop-environment-core
sudo apt install ubuntu-mate-core
I've tried this repository:
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:ubuntu-mate-dev/xenial-mate
sudo apt update
sudo apt dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends ubuntu-mate-core ubuntu-mate-desktop
This resulted in many more errors, about 50 unmet dependencies:
$ sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends ubuntu-mate-core ubuntu-mate-desktop
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
ubuntu-mate-core : Depends: avahi-discover but it is not installable
Depends: avahi-dnsconfd but it is not installable
Depends: brltty-x11 but it is not installable
Depends: caja
Depends: dconf-editor but it is not installable
Depends: ffmpegthumbnailer but it is not installable
Depends: fonts-noto but it is not installable
Depends: fonts-noto-mono but it is not installable
Depends: fonts-noto-unhinted but it is not installable
Depends: fonts-opendyslexic but it is not installable
Depends: galculator but it is not installable
Depends: gdebi but it is not installable
Depends: gnome-system-tools but it is not installable
Depends: grub2-themes-ubuntu-mate but it is not installable
Depends: gufw but it is not installable
Depends: hddtemp but it is not installable
Depends: indicator-application-gtk2 but it is not installable
Depends: indicator-sound-gtk2 but it is not installable
Depends: inxi but it is not installable
Depends: libegl1-mesa-drivers but it is not installable
Depends: libqt5libqgtk2 but it is not installable
Depends: libtopmenu-client-gtk2-0 but it is not installable
Depends: libtopmenu-client-gtk3-0 but it is not installable
Depends: libtopmenu-server-gtk2-0 but it is not installable
Depends: libtopmenu-server-gtk3-0 but it is not installable
Depends: lightdm-gtk-greeter but it is not installable
Depends: mate-accessibility-profiles but it is not installable
Depends: mate-applet-topmenu but it is not installable
Depends: mate-applets but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-desktop-environment-core but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-gnome-main-menu-applet but it is not installable
Depends: mate-indicator-applet but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-media but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-menu but it is not installable
Depends: mate-netbook but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-optimus but it is not installable
Depends: mate-power-manager but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-themes but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-tweak but it is not installable
Depends: pinentry-gtk2 but it is not installable
Depends: pluma but it is not going to be installed
Depends: plymouth-theme-ubuntu-mate-logo but it is not installable
Depends: plymouth-theme-ubuntu-mate-text but it is not installable
Depends: ppa-purge but it is not installable
Depends: qt4-qtconfig but it is not installable
Depends: syslinux-utils but it is not installable
Depends: tilda but it is not installable
Depends: topmenu-gtk-common but it is not installable
Depends: topmenu-gtk2 but it is not installable
Depends: topmenu-gtk3 but it is not installable
Depends: ubuntu-mate-artwork but it is not installable
Depends: ubuntu-mate-default-settings but it is not installable
Depends: ubuntu-mate-lightdm-theme but it is not installable
Depends: xzoom but it is not installable
ubuntu-mate-desktop : Depends: avahi-discover but it is not installable
Depends: avahi-dnsconfd but it is not installable
Depends: blueman but it is not installable
Depends: brltty-x11 but it is not installable
Depends: caja
Depends: compiz-mate but it is not installable
Depends: compiz-plugins but it is not installable
Depends: dconf-editor but it is not installable
Depends: deja-dup-backend-cloudfiles but it is not installable
Depends: deja-dup-backend-s3 but it is not installable
Depends: deja-dup-caja but it is not installable
Depends: exfat-fuse but it is not installable
Depends: exfat-utils but it is not installable
Depends: ffmpegthumbnailer but it is not installable
Depends: folder-color-caja but it is not installable
Depends: fonts-noto but it is not installable
Depends: fonts-noto-mono but it is not installable
Depends: fonts-noto-unhinted but it is not installable
Depends: fonts-opendyslexic but it is not installable
Depends: galculator but it is not installable
Depends: gdebi but it is not installable
Depends: gnome-system-tools but it is not installable
Depends: grub2-themes-ubuntu-mate but it is not installable
Depends: gufw but it is not installable
Depends: hddtemp but it is not installable
Depends: hexchat but it is not installable
Depends: ideviceinstaller but it is not installable
Depends: ifuse but it is not installable
Depends: indicator-application-gtk2 but it is not installable
Depends: indicator-sound-gtk2 but it is not installable
Depends: inxi but it is not installable
Depends: libaacs0 but it is not installable
Depends: libbdplus0 but it is not installable
Depends: libbluray-bdj but it is not installable
Depends: libbluray-bin but it is not installable
Depends: libbluray1 but it is not installable
Depends: libegl1-mesa-drivers but it is not installable
Depends: libimobiledevice-utils but it is not installable
Depends: libplist-utils but it is not installable
Depends: libqt5libqgtk2 but it is not installable
Depends: libreoffice-style-human but it is not installable
Depends: libtopmenu-client-gtk2-0 but it is not installable
Depends: libtopmenu-client-gtk3-0 but it is not installable
Depends: libtopmenu-server-gtk2-0 but it is not installable
Depends: libtopmenu-server-gtk3-0 but it is not installable
Depends: lightdm-gtk-greeter but it is not installable
Depends: lightdm-gtk-greeter-settings but it is not installable
Depends: mate-accessibility-profiles but it is not installable
Depends: mate-applet-topmenu but it is not installable
Depends: mate-applets but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-desktop-environment-core but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-dock-applet but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-gnome-main-menu-applet but it is not installable
Depends: mate-indicator-applet but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-media but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-menu but it is not installable
Depends: mate-netbook but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-optimus but it is not installable
Depends: mate-power-manager but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-themes but it is not going to be installed
Depends: mate-tweak but it is not installable
Depends: pidgin but it is not installable
Depends: pidgin-libnotify but it is not installable
Depends: pidgin-otr but it is not installable
Depends: pinentry-gtk2 but it is not installable
Depends: plank but it is not installable
Depends: pluma but it is not going to be installed
Depends: plymouth-theme-ubuntu-mate-logo but it is not installable
Depends: plymouth-theme-ubuntu-mate-text but it is not installable
Depends: ppa-purge but it is not installable
Depends: qt4-qtconfig but it is not installable
Depends: rhythmbox-plugin-cdrecorder but it is not installable
Depends: synapse but it is not installable
Depends: syslinux-utils but it is not installable
Depends: tilda but it is not installable
Depends: tlp but it is not installable
Depends: tlp-rdw but it is not installable
Depends: topmenu-gtk-common but it is not installable
Depends: topmenu-gtk2 but it is not installable
Depends: topmenu-gtk3 but it is not installable
Depends: ubuntu-mate-artwork but it is not installable
Depends: ubuntu-mate-default-settings but it is not installable
Depends: ubuntu-mate-libreoffice-draw-icons but it is not installable
Depends: ubuntu-mate-lightdm-theme but it is not installable
Depends: ubuntu-mate-welcome but it is not installable
Depends: vlc but it is not installable
Depends: vlc-plugin-notify but it is not installable
Depends: xul-ext-calendar-timezones but it is not installable
Depends: xul-ext-gdata-provider but it is not installable
Depends: xul-ext-lightning but it is not installable
Depends: xzoom but it is not installable
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.
How can I install Mate on this desktop?
You will be running mate. Details here and here. Hope this helps.