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Ubuntu for Android

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Re: Ubuntu for Android

#111

Post by verelo »

bambax wrote: post #42
bguthrie wrote: post #17

This, or something like it, is the future: the computing device is portable, and adapts itself to the forms of input available. There's no reason why your display should have to be permanently attached to the device that drives it, and increasingly, it won't be. I don't know what the implications are for Ubuntu or Android. But genuine support for a first-class computing experience is one of the few things that would…

> This, or something like it, is the future: the computing device is portable, and adapts itself to the forms of input available Maybe it is, but it's not the future I'd like best. I would like to have a desktop in the cloud, and data in the cloud, and nothing in my pocket; nothing to lose or break or have to make sure it still has juice. When I get somewhere to work (a client's, a café, a friend's, etc.), I log in t…

Whats to say the data isnt in the cloud? I expect that the future of computing has a few layers.

1. Device (basically CPU) - this could be your phone or something similar

2. Storage local cache on your "Device" but sync'd with the cloud in case of it getting lost or damaged

3. Input. Lets face it, we all enjoy a good keyboard and mouse...if you're on the go touch screen does the job but I'll never write a document from one (unless I am super desperate)

Re: Ubuntu for Android

#112

Post by headbiznatch »

I never got my jet pack, but I DID get my handheld supercomputer. I love this. I love the idea of it and the 7 year old in me who had his world rocked by that TI-99/4A is stoked. I just can't be upset at any aspect of this - our computing dreams just keep coming true.

Re: Ubuntu for Android

#113

Post by test23452 »

Cheap office computer costs 200-350$. Why would you buy a phone for 1000$ to replace it? It doesn't even run Windows. It will work only after 10 years when devices get cheaper, and only if they put x86 in it. Another problem is that phones are stolen much more often than Cs.

Re: Ubuntu for Android

#114

Post by IvarTJ »

rickmb wrote: post #78
bambax wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This, or something like it, is the future: the computing device is portable, and adapts itself to the forms of input available Maybe it is, but it's not the future I'd like best. I would like to have a desktop in the cloud, and data in the cloud, and nothing in my pocket; nothing to lose or break or have to make sure it still has juice. When I get somewhere to work (a client's, a café, a friend's, etc.), I log in t…

If you think your data "in the cloud" (which is just a way of saying "on other people's physical systems") is safe from theft, breakage or some foreign government agency pulling the plug, you haven't been paying much attention to reality lately. And by "lately" I mean the past decade. Don't get me wrong, I like the convenience of "the cloud". It's especially helpful in synchronizing all the data that I have on cheap…

Wouldn’t login sniffing on these supposedly dumb machines be a greater concern? Murders are more common within families after all.

While the I/O from those plugged-in devices could still be sniffed, including what appears on a screen, at least you could encrypt your communication when using a portable device.

Re: Ubuntu for Android

#115

Post by rhygar »

This is cool from a gee whiz/novelty standpoint, but in practice this will have very poor usability. Why? Good touch apps have terrible UI for keyboard & mouse interaction.

For example swiping, pinch to zoom, etc. Many apps use a swipe to the left or right to perform and action. How would this work with a mouse?

Re: Ubuntu for Android

#117

Post by recusancy »

rhygar wrote: post #115

This is cool from a gee whiz/novelty standpoint, but in practice this will have very poor usability. Why? Good touch apps have terrible UI for keyboard & mouse interaction. For example swiping, pinch to zoom, etc. Many apps use a swipe to the left or right to perform and action. How would this work with a mouse?

There are plenty of touch mice.

Re: Ubuntu for Android

#118

Post by Lewisham »

rhygar wrote: post #115

This is cool from a gee whiz/novelty standpoint, but in practice this will have very poor usability. Why? Good touch apps have terrible UI for keyboard & mouse interaction. For example swiping, pinch to zoom, etc. Many apps use a swipe to the left or right to perform and action. How would this work with a mouse?

This isn't what they're proposing. What they're saying is that Android will be on the touchscreen, and Ubuntu will available on the main screen.

Presumably, Ubuntu apps will be given access to Android's data store and events, but Ubuntu apps won't run on the touchscreen, and vice versa.

Re: Ubuntu for Android

#119

Post by nodemaker »

Lewisham wrote: post #106
rickmb wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you think your data "in the cloud" (which is just a way of saying "on other people's physical systems") is safe from theft, breakage or some foreign government agency pulling the plug, you haven't been paying much attention to reality lately. And by "lately" I mean the past decade. Don't get me wrong, I like the convenience of "the cloud". It's especially helpful in synchronizing all the data that I have on cheap…

Backup device manufaturers are really missing out on big bucks by not making a small NAS that downloads all you cloud data. Give it access to Google/Dropbox/Flickr etc an have it silently back everything up. I hope they've thought of this and I've just missed it. They won't be able to sell USB based backup drives for much longer.

The device 'Time Machine' by Apple does exactly that.

Re: Ubuntu for Android

#120

Post by zanny »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #60
wavephorm wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's kinda the same as saying Mini-Computers will always outperform Desktop PC's. The general trend of hardware is that it gets smaller, faster, and more efficient simultaneously. It is highly likely within 10 years you'll be walking around with a smartphone more than 10 times as powerful than the fastest 16-core desktop PC you can buy today, and possibly desktop PC's won't even be sold by then because there won't…

If that's a bet, I'll take it. You'll still be able to buy desktop computers in 10 years. They might not be common, cheap or easy to find, but you'll be able to buy them. IBM still makes lots of money selling mainframes, and HP still makes and sells OpenVMS minicomputers.

Workstations at offices, gaming machines, animation and image manipulation will all probably stay on desktops and that will keep them around for years.

The scale of a desktop fits and works. Like how we could make a TV the size of a watch, but we don't because the large 60 inch plazma format, while immobile, has benefits worth the tradeoff.

Full featured mouse / keyboard, larger screens, surround sound are all perks of stationary desktops (I guess you could attach all these peripherals to a laptop, but then you are partially defeating the point of being mobile.

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