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The Case for Ubuntu Phone

gould.cx

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Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#11

Post by benevol »

popey wrote: post #7
benevol wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks. It's just that the average user will never accept such hurdles. An automated backup solution is really one of the most important things to have in phones. No backup solution means one must be OK with losing all the data as soon as the phone gets stolen or lost.

Indeed. I wrote that before there was a backup tool built into Ubuntu Phone. I saw a demo of the backup tool a few months back, but don't know if it landed yet.

> don't know if it landed yet.

How can the consumer know about all currently available features in Ubuntu phones? A dedicated page for that would allow one to check "if Ubuntu is ready for me".

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#12

Post by popey »

benevol wrote: post #11
popey wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed. I wrote that before there was a backup tool built into Ubuntu Phone. I saw a demo of the backup tool a few months back, but don't know if it landed yet.

> don't know if it landed yet. How can the consumer know about all currently available features in Ubuntu phones? A dedicated page for that would allow one to check "if Ubuntu is ready for me".

It's a bit academic right now as there are no Ubuntu phones on sale, but yes, that would be a great page to make.

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#13

Post by giancarlostoro »

I would love to have a Ubuntu Phone, but my carrier in the US probably doesn't support such phones yet as far as I'm aware. If they can sooner reach the multiple carriers in this side of the globe effectively (and hopefully not AT&T first, kind of sick of everyone going to them first) then that would help the ecosystem currently going on. I am not enjoying the options left.

I loved Android at first because it is based on Linux, but I don't feel like I'm using Linux, I just feel like I'm using the only other option left. I like the few freedoms Android gives me at least, but it takes more effort than if I had Ubuntu installed on a computer to do anything useful on it.

Amazon tried, but why would I want to stop being locked down by one tech giant just to be locked down to the next. A phone should have the essentials, nothing forcefully locked into the phone. I can't uninstall Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger from my phone without rooting. If one day they all shut down that becomes a completely useless set of applications. Years from now I should still be able to text and call though? I should be able to change the apps that do those things too either way! If the manufacturer stops supporting them for example.

I love the freedom of Linux, and Android never feels like it yet. I hope Ubuntu comes to America and becomes highly available everywhere. I also hope competitors are allowed, or Distros. Would be nice to see alternative phones. I don't want to be locked down as much as I love Google, they shouldn't have total control of my phone, neither should Apple, or Canonical.

At least Canonical respects that.

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#14

Post by Santosh83 »

FOSS software running phones/tablets is currently at roughly the same place FOSS software on the PC was at the turn of the millenium, and now reports indicate that Linux on the PC/laptop is gaining more and more notice from vendors each year, something no one could've dreamnt of during the monopolistic haydays of MS. So whether or not it gains traction from telcos and the average consumer, a functioning alternative to closed ecosystems is justified by its very existence and the ever-present possibility that a combination of factors can at any moment cause it to rise to the forefront. But it can win only if it's still in the ring right?

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#15

Post by giancarlostoro »

rcarmo wrote: post #10

I applaud the OP's bravery, but after a long, long time in the telco business and having seen many attempts from multiple platforms towards gaining a foothold (Symbian, Maemo, LiMo - including Vodafone's own version - Bada, etc.), I have to point out that Ubuntu Phone, despite the vision and values behind it, is at a massively overwhelming disadvantage in terms of both telco appeal (what I and my former colleagues st…

I think the biggest thing that could probably help the Ubuntu Phone is an approachable development environment. If the road to developing apps for a phone is short enough, that people on their weekend make apps for it, it will expand rapidly with apps. This requires great tooling, and documentation. Potentially even adoption of a programming language that either comes with a powerful SDK or is tailored from the ground up for this purpose, or forked. We've seen this type of boom with Go. Go has a LOT of out of the box functionality, and Python does too, it is what makes people stick to them once they like them in my opinion. However, tooling and documentation are key. I know Ubuntu has Ubuntu Make, but it still has a long way to go. If they can make a great development ecosystem, they can bring in a number of developers.

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#16

Post by AgentME »

popey wrote: post #12
benevol wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> don't know if it landed yet. How can the consumer know about all currently available features in Ubuntu phones? A dedicated page for that would allow one to check "if Ubuntu is ready for me".

It's a bit academic right now as there are no Ubuntu phones on sale, but yes, that would be a great page to make.

There are Ubuntu tablets on sale now, which run about the same software as far as I know.

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#17

Post by mamon »

I would like to try Ubuntu Phone but I cannot find it anywhere.

Canonical's page says that all devices are out of stock, various online stores say exactly the same thing, and all the devices that are listed as compatibile (Nexus 5 for instance) are two generations old and also hard to come by.

The only option I haven't tried is buying used phone on eBay, because they usually come in pretty bad shape so I want brand new device.

Please Canonical, get your shit together and release SOMETHING, pretty much any device with 4.5 inch screen 2GB RAM and 32GB flash will do.

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#18

Post by udp »

giancarlostoro wrote: post #13

I would love to have a Ubuntu Phone, but my carrier in the US probably doesn't support such phones yet as far as I'm aware. If they can sooner reach the multiple carriers in this side of the globe effectively (and hopefully not AT&T first, kind of sick of everyone going to them first) then that would help the ecosystem currently going on. I am not enjoying the options left. I loved Android at first because it is base…

> I would love to have a Ubuntu Phone, but my carrier in the US probably doesn't support such phones yet as far as I'm aware.

How does that work? Does the carrier have to support each new brand of phone?

I don't think we have a system like that here in the UK. I have an iPhone 6 paid for with a monthly contract, but I was using a ~2002 Nokia feature phone recently while it was away for repair.

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#19

Post by a2800276 »

AgentME wrote: post #16
popey wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a bit academic right now as there are no Ubuntu phones on sale, but yes, that would be a great page to make.

There are Ubuntu tablets on sale now, which run about the same software as far as I know.

Only they're sold out.

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#20

Post by Freak_NL »

giancarlostoro wrote: post #13

I would love to have a Ubuntu Phone, but my carrier in the US probably doesn't support such phones yet as far as I'm aware. If they can sooner reach the multiple carriers in this side of the globe effectively (and hopefully not AT&T first, kind of sick of everyone going to them first) then that would help the ecosystem currently going on. I am not enjoying the options left. I loved Android at first because it is base…

> […] but my carrier in the US probably doesn't support such phones yet as far as I'm aware.

Is there something specific about US carriers that prevents a phone running Ubuntu Touch from working? My experience in Europe is that my Ubuntu Touch phone (Meizu Pro 5) just works, because it supports all the necessary bands and SIM-cards. I don't think my carrier really cares what phone I use.

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