MATE is a fork of Gnome 2.It provides an intuitive and attractive desktop to Linux users using traditional metaphors. The name “MATE” comes from yerba maté, a species of holly native to subtropical South America. Its leaves contain caffeine and are used to make infusions and a beverage called mate.
This tutorial will explain how to install/remove MATE desktop environment in ubuntu 12.04(precise)/11.10 (Oneiric).