When comparing Ubuntu MATE vs PrimeOS, the Slant community recommends PrimeOS for most people. In the question“What are the best operating systems for old laptops?” PrimeOS is ranked 13th while Ubuntu MATE is ranked 26th.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Simplicity of Gnome with the power of Ubuntu
Debian was good to use but has limited documentation and is difficult to pick up. Ubuntu MATE brings the ease of design and logic of the Gnome 2 style desktop so it's easy to get around coupled with the vast documentation, forums and ease of learning/using the Ubuntu system.
Pro Works great on old laptops
It does not have a lot of system requirements so it works pretty well even on older laptops.
Pro Perfect for people who like Gnome 2
The goal of MATE is to maintain the look and feel of Gnome 2, while maintaining compatibility with Gnome 3. To that end, it has also forked and renamed many of Gnome's core applications. It benefits from the years of work and polish that have gone into the Gnome project.
Pro Highly configurable
Comes with an option to configure as Windows-like, Mac-like, Gnome-like, etc. in a single click. Wonderful to get you started without having to learn it all from scratch.
Pro Behaves like Ubuntu with Unity - after Ubuntu-Gnome transformation
No better place to continue Unity experience with Ubuntu (Left-side panel, HUD) and not as awkward as Gnome.
Pro Based on Ubuntu
Pro Dual boot at single click with PrimeOS installer
Pro Standalone OS, better performance than any emulator
PrimeOS is standalone OS thus provides 2x performance than any emulator as emulator runs on a host OS.
Pro 3x better performance than windows budget laptop
Pro Android Gaming on PC
PrimeOS is equipped with a key mapping tool, DecaPro whihc let you play any Android game at the comfort of keyboard and mouse.
Pro Android Ecosystem with Desktop Interface
PrimeOS provides access to the whole Android ecosystem with complete desktop interface. Now use multiple apps on single screen with minimise, maximise and close option.
Cons
Con No very good Software Center by default
The Software Boutique is not good. You can install Gnome Software from it.
Con Too much bloat included by default
Con Redundant
There is absolutely no reason to install it, since it uses the same package repositories as Ubuntu and you can transform any Ubuntu install into a Ubuntu MATE install.
Con Not bleeding edge
Users who want the latest and greatest software would be happier using Arch Linux, Antergos or another rolling release distro. However, because Ubuntu MATE is based on Ubuntu, users still have access to a large repository of recent software.