In the Mint 12 RC MATE wasn't available for the first few days after the
release. When it first came as an update to the RC is was very unimpressive and
unfinished. With further updates to the RC it got better, sound control was
added, the Mint menu was added so that by the time of the Mint 12 stable release
MATE was usable. But it needs polish and it is getting work done on it. Right
now it needs power management available on the panel, and it could use some
polish regarding font rendering. But as of right now it is usable, and I can see
it getting much better.
It is a shame that Gnome is going to do away with Gnome Classic/Fallback
eventually, because that is really the best option for those who want a Gnome 2
interface, or as close as you can get to Gnome 2. With alt-right click on the
panel you can move the panel, delete a panel and just use one panel, move the
panel around, and easily add apps to it. I think if Gnome left the Fallback
option available there would not be as much angst toward them.
I honestly don't know what some of these devs are thinking. No one who
actually does work on a computer can fully substitute that with a tablet, and a
tablet interface just does not cut it for many who work on their computers
rather than just surf the web. Thankfully we do have options and choices in
Linux.