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The Case for Ubuntu Phone

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Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#61

Post by wvh »

mamon wrote: post #17

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 n…

Same with Jolla – my first gen is breaking and I can't buy a replacement running Sailfish at this moment. I like Sailfish and I'm interested in Ubuntu Phone, but clearly they seem to have some issues convincing manufacturers to release some hardware with these alternative systems. I hope maybe Fairphone and Puzzlephone could become open mobile hardware devices with at least semi-official support for multiple open operating systems because I'm not quite brave enough to start hacking mobile devices to run Linux.

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#62

Post by jasonkostempski »

quanticle wrote: post #58

The biggest strength and weakness of Ubuntu Phone is that it's a device without an intrinsic set of services. If you buy an Android device, you get Google Services. If you buy an iPhone, you get Apple services. What he's missing is that the device is pretty much useless without the services. The services are as necessary to the functionality of the device as say, filesystem drivers are on an operating system. Yes, it…

If they're trying to target the same customers that buy Apple and Android for the services and all the other skin-deep beauty, I think they're going to fail for sure. Hopefully, there's enough people that just want a general purpose computer with and open source operating system that just happens to include cellular internet connection (bonuses for me would be a a hardware keyboard, is at a size that actually fits in your pocket and has a hard switch to disconnect it from the network). I would also gladly pay more, even with the inconveniences that might come with such a device. I hope they target something like that and there are enough people that want it.

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#63

Post by infosample »

opless wrote: post #51

"What I find most interesting thing about this discussion is that it is the original reason that Google bought Android. They were concerned that with Apple controlling the smartphone market they’d be in a position to damage Google’s ability to compete in services" Google bought android in 2005. Apple release iPhone in 2007. Do what now? I'd love a truly linux-based phone. Though it's unlikely that you'll ever get "ro…

Google bought Android to prevent a Microsoft monopoly.

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#64

Post by [deleted] »

benevol wrote: post #2

What I urgently need to see before I can buy an Ubuntu phone is an integrated 1-click backup solution: I want to connect my Ubuntu phone to my Ubuntu notebook and click "Backup now", to have everything I need synced to my notebook (and not to some "cloud"/somebody else's server).

[deleted]

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#65

Post by sverige »

morganvachon wrote: post #46
sverige wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just went through this research again for the first time in five or six years. One of the most frustrating things about US carriers is that they force manufacturers to limit their offerings in this market. For example, dual SIM card phones are not offered on any phones built for the US market, since carriers make a lot of their money from financing new phones. There are also phones with three and four SIM cards made…

> For example, dual SIM card phones are not offered on any phones built for the US market, since carriers make a lot of their money from financing new phones. Actually there are plenty of dual SIM models available in the US from US companies that are 100% compatible with US carriers, you just have to be willing to open a browser and shop for five minutes. I am currently using a Microsoft Lumia 650 dual SIM phone, pur…

I stand corrected. I was not shopping for smartphones this time around, so hadn't looked at those. There isn't nearly as much variety in basic phones and feature phones offered in the US.

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#66

Post by ZenoArrow »

mamon wrote: post #17

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 n…

Canonical aren't likely to release another Ubuntu Phone until Snaps are a standard way to install new software, which I personally think is a great move by them.

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Ubuntu-P...

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#67

Post by rsync »

We really need something like "GNU phoneutils" ... a big package of command line utilities to control and manipulate a telephone.

I really, really want to do things like this:

  cat file | sms -send -n 4157771234

  grep mom addresses | awk (field with phonenumber) | dial --nobusy --retry 3
That is to say, I want a unix phone. I want to run the phone with unix and unix commands. Certainly not all of the time, but some of the time I would like the power to manipulate dialing/texting/answering in this way.

I am not aware of any utilities like this - collected in a big package or not ...

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#68

Post by rimantas »

opless wrote: post #56
ClassyJacket wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rumours of Apple making a smartphone were strong for years before they actually announced one.

They only started working on a phone in 2005 according to the wiki page. Yes, there were rumours for years ... ever since the Newton.

IIRC first prototypes were made in 2004 and were more iPads than iPhones

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#69

Post by rimantas »

FatalBaboon wrote: post #40
akjainaj wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>If you talk to inexperienced computer users, probably the most common complaint you will get is that software they are using is being changed underneath them, after they have got used to it. Open source projects do that all the time too. Think of GNOME 2 -> 3, and compare it to iOS 6 -> 7. >the walled garden 'we will do what is best for you' attitude If we take Apple as an example, their attitude is "we will do what…

Yes, that is why Apple released the new MBP, with a touchbar perfectly aligned with what users desperately wanted.

Those who complsin the most don not really want anything except to rant—that's the cheapest way for them to appear smart.

Re: The Case for Ubuntu Phone

#70

Post by tkdc926 »

abrowne wrote: post #53
BuuQu9hu wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are the CDMA ones planning on moving to LTE?

They (Verizon, Sprint) already have, but they still use CDMA in outlying areas and for voice service. (Verizon, especially, is known for having the best rural service, at least in the rural areas near where I live.) Verizon does use SIM cards for LTE; I'm not sure about Spring but I'm guessing they do as well. Both still have the CDMA-carrier mindset of wanting only "their" devices on their networks. In the past they…

I set my granddaughter up with an unlocked Nexus 6 on Verizon.
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