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Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target

theguardian.com

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Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target

#11

Post by glesica »

zombio wrote: post #8
t0 wrote: post #2

I don't think they ever planned on hitting $32m. This was simply a way to gather information and see just how much interest there really is.

Mark Shuttleworth said in his Reddit AMA that if the project was not successfully funded he would not close the gap. Are you suggesting he would let the project die, only to reintroduce it later? http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1j166z/hi_im_mark_shut...

I don't think anyone is suggesting that he would let it fail and then reintroduce it later. From what Canonical has said, if it fails, it fails. They specifically say in the video that they are not getting into the hardware business. This is a one-time thing. This is sort of Canonical's "Nexus" device, it isn't their primary strategy, just a demo.

Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target

#12

Post by georgemcbay »

Alterlife wrote: post #7

Canoical has made the same mistakes Microsoft did by branding their phone and tablet OS "Ubuntu"... It hurt Ubuntu desktop in the process with Unity. Convergence might be the future, but the breakpoints in usability and public imagination just haven't been hit yet. I think Android and iOS have a better opportunity to scale up and meet desktop needs without alienating users than Windows explorer, Gnome 2.0 or KDE have…

I don't agree that either the Windows or Ubuntu names are really a negative for the phone brands offered by each. I do think the phone OS market is a tough nut to crack given the extremely wide penetration of iOS and Android, but that persists regardless of OS name. You could call Windows Phone anything you want and it still has all of the same problems with lack of apps, lack of widespread handset maker support, etc, same with Ubuntu Mobile.

I'm personally still excited about the idea of Ubuntu Mobile, but I never had an interest in the Edge because I just don't think the crowdfunding model works in the phone space. I have less than zero interest in paying $830 (or even the early $625 price) and receiving a phone a year from now that has very vaguely defined specs at the time I'm paying for it.

But when Ubuntu Mobile is more fully baked I'll give it a lengthy try out as my "daily driver" on my existing Nexus 4 (or whatever I may have after the N4 that is also supported, depending upon time frame).

Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target

#14

Post by crdoconnor »

zombio wrote: post #8
t0 wrote: post #2

I don't think they ever planned on hitting $32m. This was simply a way to gather information and see just how much interest there really is.

Mark Shuttleworth said in his Reddit AMA that if the project was not successfully funded he would not close the gap. Are you suggesting he would let the project die, only to reintroduce it later? http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1j166z/hi_im_mark_shut...

He might be using it to "prove" interest in such a device to manufacturers.

Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target

#15

Post by zanny »

Alterlife wrote: post #7

Canoical has made the same mistakes Microsoft did by branding their phone and tablet OS "Ubuntu"... It hurt Ubuntu desktop in the process with Unity. Convergence might be the future, but the breakpoints in usability and public imagination just haven't been hit yet. I think Android and iOS have a better opportunity to scale up and meet desktop needs without alienating users than Windows explorer, Gnome 2.0 or KDE have…

KDE already has a mobile platform: http://plasma-active.org/

It is still in development, but the entirety of the plasma development framework is around fixed size apps that on the desktop occupy popups from a widget bar and on mobile run as full applications.

Additionally, qt makes it very easy to develop for mobile since it uses a plugin based native toolkit system that skins your app according to the ui conventions of the target. A qtquick 2.1 app on Android looks Holo, on Windows looks Aero, on OSX looks Cocoa, etc.

That is probably the reason Canonical picked qt for its sdk.

It is very easy in modern qt paradigms to have a qml app that self-manages its scale based on screen size - physical dimensions, that is - so you can have your interface shift to "mobile mode" when the display it is rendered on is smaller than, say, 11" in size, and runs in a window with mouse / keyboard UX above that.

Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target

#16

Post by snitko »

They should buy bitcoins on some money they raised: it will surely spark a new spike in price, but, hopefully, because they initiated it, they can later profit from people who follow the trend by buying and raising the price even more. That way, they can maybe reach $32m target and possibly even more.

Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target

#17

Post by badclient »

Pretty sure they are coordinating with corporates behind the scenes and have few million lined up in commitments that will turn into actual $ as we get closer. That in itself makes this campaign unpredidented - I don't recall another campaign with a $80,000 contribution level.

IMO they should be able to get 100 of the Fortune 500 companies to fork over $80,0000 for an exclusive access to the new shiney thing in mobile.

Heck Marissa Mayer alone may just reimburse every Yahoo employee who decides to get one going by her thirst for mobile ... and pr.

Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target

#18

Post by TylerE »

snitko wrote: post #16

They should buy bitcoins on some money they raised: it will surely spark a new spike in price, but, hopefully, because they initiated it, they can later profit from people who follow the trend by buying and raising the price even more. That way, they can maybe reach $32m target and possibly even more.

People like you are why I have a very hard time taking bitcoin seriously.

Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target

#19

Post by snitko »

TylerE wrote: post #18
snitko wrote: post #16

They should buy bitcoins on some money they raised: it will surely spark a new spike in price, but, hopefully, because they initiated it, they can later profit from people who follow the trend by buying and raising the price even more. That way, they can maybe reach $32m target and possibly even more.

People like you are why I have a very hard time taking bitcoin seriously.

Why? Are you saying that speculating on Bitcoin somehow alters the core properties of the technology?

Re: Ubuntu Edge will miss $32M crowdfunding target

#20

Post by wmf »

snitko wrote: post #16

They should buy bitcoins on some money they raised: it will surely spark a new spike in price, but, hopefully, because they initiated it, they can later profit from people who follow the trend by buying and raising the price even more. That way, they can maybe reach $32m target and possibly even more.

I'd be pissed if I backed an Ubuntu phone and the money was used for a Bitcoin pump-and-dump (that might not even work).
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