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Ubuntu on tablets

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Re: Ubuntu on tablets

#71

Post by untog »

pajju wrote: post #53

They learnt everything from others by launching late, but added most of the good design patterns. Great work all together. Worth mentioning, Ubuntu is emerging as perfect web platform with tight integration with web-services. "And now web applications are first class citizens too, wow. I was waiting for this to happen fast." At this stage they need: 1. More Partners. They must have strong tie-ups with OEM partners, w…

Why on earth would Nokia back this project? If they make a tablet it's going to be a Windows 8 device.

Re: Ubuntu on tablets

#72

Post by naner »

rufugee wrote: post #21

As much as it pains me to admit it, I'm now using Cinnamon as a desktop environment. I really, really wanted Unity to work, but I've had continued performance problems which make it ultimately unusable for me. I understand Ubuntu's need to turn a profit, but I really wish they'd focus on making Unity stable and performant before chasing down these other opportunities... Disclaimer: I run three monitors, so I'm probab…

I've moved to Cinnamon, too.

I tried Gnome 3 for a few weeks, went back to a simple window manager for awhile (I had used Openbox for years), and also tried Unity and KDE4. Turns out I'm used to a certain kind of workflow based on "traditional" desktops. I prefer having resizable floating windows to maximized windows, I rely on too much desktop infrastructure to just use a window manager anymore, and KDE has extremely busy and cluttered interfaces. I've never seen anything like it, it was overwhelming.

Re: Ubuntu on tablets

#74

Post by noahl »

BenoitEssiambre wrote: post #61

I'm a heavy Ubuntu user and what I want to know is can it run all the existing Ubuntu/Linux apps? Also what is the multitasking model? I can't imagine full desktop multitasking would work on a tablet. That would kill the battery.

Yes, it can run all of the standard desktop apps. The video talks about adding a keyboard and mouse and using it like a desktop.

I don't think it mentions whether it can run those apps while being a tablet, though. It's not clear if it'll let you do that or not. (I would guess it will, or at least it will if GTK and Qt add support for whatever windowing system this uses.)

Re: Ubuntu on tablets

#75

Post by azakai »

untog wrote: post #71
pajju wrote: post #53

They learnt everything from others by launching late, but added most of the good design patterns. Great work all together. Worth mentioning, Ubuntu is emerging as perfect web platform with tight integration with web-services. "And now web applications are first class citizens too, wow. I was waiting for this to happen fast." At this stage they need: 1. More Partners. They must have strong tie-ups with OEM partners, w…

Why on earth would Nokia back this project? If they make a tablet it's going to be a Windows 8 device.

It would make sense for Nokia to not put all its eggs in one basket. Windows is not doing well on mobile devices, so Nokia investing in other options would be the safe thing to do.

Re: Ubuntu on tablets

#76

Post by methodin »

chx wrote: post #25

I still don't get it. This emphasises on "productivity". Tablets, lacking any efficient ways of input are not productivity devices. They are great at consuming content, of course. There is a reason the iPad and the Kindle Fire rules the field.

Of course if you watch till the end you see that the form changes depending on context. A phone docked to a tablet docked with keyboard/mouse, but ultimately driven by the phone. That would pretty convenient in all forms of input.

Re: Ubuntu on tablets

#77

Post by MatthewPhillips »

mtgx wrote: post #64
pajju wrote: post #53

They learnt everything from others by launching late, but added most of the good design patterns. Great work all together. Worth mentioning, Ubuntu is emerging as perfect web platform with tight integration with web-services. "And now web applications are first class citizens too, wow. I was waiting for this to happen fast." At this stage they need: 1. More Partners. They must have strong tie-ups with OEM partners, w…

2. The apps will remain compatible, just like on Android, but I fear they will give too much control over to carriers. From what I understand they want to give "total branding power" over a device to carriers. So we'll see how they go about that without pissing off the user. If it's subtle enough it might work. But I still hate the idea of giving even more power (again) to the carriers. The carriers should be powerle…

The only way to make carriers powerless is if consumers buy phones unsubsidized. Even Apple makes concessions to carriers.

Re: Ubuntu on tablets

#78

Post by naner »

bitsoda wrote: post #42

I still don't understand the tablet form factor. I concluded that it's not for me some time ago, but am waiting for the general population to come around to one glaring flaw: you have to hold it. For me, it doesn't matter how light a tablet is. A five pound laptop will always feel lighter since it will effectively weigh nothing because it's always on some kind of platform during use, either my lap or a flat desk/tabl…

one glaring flaw: you have to hold it

This isn't really a flaw, tablets aren't going to replace computers they are just another computer that is used differently. They are better for reading and passing around.

Products like the Surface Pro I think are overselling the form factor.

Re: Ubuntu on tablets

#79

Post by biot »

mtgx wrote: post #64
pajju wrote: post #53

They learnt everything from others by launching late, but added most of the good design patterns. Great work all together. Worth mentioning, Ubuntu is emerging as perfect web platform with tight integration with web-services. "And now web applications are first class citizens too, wow. I was waiting for this to happen fast." At this stage they need: 1. More Partners. They must have strong tie-ups with OEM partners, w…

2. The apps will remain compatible, just like on Android, but I fear they will give too much control over to carriers. From what I understand they want to give "total branding power" over a device to carriers. So we'll see how they go about that without pissing off the user. If it's subtle enough it might work. But I still hate the idea of giving even more power (again) to the carriers. The carriers should be powerle…

Ubuntu is free so they need to make their money somehow, and consumers are unlikely to spring for Canonical's expert training, support, or consulting fees. Perhaps if you had to purchase Ubuntu for $29 on top of your naked device price (there's likely very little margin in the hardware), the incentive to charge carriers for customization wouldn't be there.

Re: Ubuntu on tablets

#80

Post by riffraff »

firefoxman1 wrote: post #60
bitsoda wrote: post #42

I still don't understand the tablet form factor. I concluded that it's not for me some time ago, but am waiting for the general population to come around to one glaring flaw: you have to hold it. For me, it doesn't matter how light a tablet is. A five pound laptop will always feel lighter since it will effectively weigh nothing because it's always on some kind of platform during use, either my lap or a flat desk/tabl…

Right now they're pretty useless, I agree. But watch a couple clips for me: http://youtu.be/Jx7VNP5UO2k?t=5m9s (at 5:09) http://youtu.be/5jzAAPccBaU?t=2m27s (at 2:27) That's the future. That's when the tablet becomes extremely useful. Productive-yet-portable in a way a laptop can't be. What I think the Microsoft guys really nailed is that the tablet is ultimately just another tool . The "post-pc" era still has plenty…

I'm not sure what is supposed to be noticed in the second video, but the first one is basically already possible with current tablets, other than the "everything is transparent".

I mean, there is no deep conceptual difference between something like leafsnap and what is shown there.

But even looking at that, it still doesn't show why a tablet form factor (thinking >9" diagonal) is better for this things than something sized like a larger phone, or a foldable thingy like the (sadly dead) MS Courier.

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