In case you're interested by how antiX-16 runs with Mate. I've installed the Mate desktop environment a few days ago on an up-to-date antiX-16. And can report that anticapilista instructions in
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In order to install mate on antiX-15, you need to allow libsystemd0 to get installed since mate-session-manager depends on it.
To allow systemd, you need to edit/remove etc/apt/preferences.d/00systemd
If you do this, you *might* be ok, and hopefully, you still use sysvinit rather than systemd.

work fine in the present release. Yeah! sysvinit included.

Are you staying with Mate, or was it just a test?
Other than mate-system-monitor, I don't favor any of the Mate components.
I reckon their panel/tray has reached feature parity with that of xfce or lxde... but I don't need a calendar in my tray, thanks.
So, if you're a MateDesktop fan, I'm asking: Why do you find it appealing? What are its outstanding/unique features?

Sorry for being late skidoo.

I replaced the Rox/JWM/OpenBox default choice with Mate at the DIY house (signature) for it has:

- Uncluttered UX where new comers coming from another, borked OS find all they need with little to no need for help.
- Not bad looking once (easily) configured (by the user __{{emoticon}}__ )
- Lightweight up to allowing fast boot up and let any application(s) use the computer resources to a full extend; i.e. ready to compete on the efficiency side of the rad with antiX default WM and DE.

Other than that I'm not coming from another, borked OS and therefore don't use it.

As a huge fan of gnome2 I was eager to use MATE desktop and was impressed with how well it worked. However, in the (post Ubuntu 11:04 miasma) interim I'd started using Xfce4 and found that it was more lightweight and nimble and did everything I actually needed from a DE. 4.12 also has improvements in appearance which are mostly cosmetic, but hit the spot for me. I tried MATE, but went back to Xfce4. YMMV