Shuttleworth: Ubuntu is heading to phones and tablets | Hacker News Reader

Shuttleworth: Ubuntu is heading to phones and tablets

arstechnica.com

62 pointsevo_915 comments

I feel that the Ubuntu project is really stretching it's resources trying to be on so many different type of devices. I get that focusing on the desktop is probably not a good long term strategy but I really don't feel the work their is anywhere near good enough to shift to mobile/touch development.

Also, I really don't get how they will penetrate this market considering Android is pretty well suited for this and I don't know of many good native Linux applications out there built for touch that can compete with what is in the Android realm (I guess they could try to have dalvik run and emulate the APIs for more low level stuff). How will us users get Ubuntu mobile? We can't really get a touch device today that is as easy as a desktop to switch to Ubuntu.

Focusing on where they can join the masses is good. Problem is that I worry what would come out of a ubuntu phone. Will it be android-like but not quite android? The same mistake as Windows XP on tablets? Etc. If they can do it well, I will vouch for em.

Why would focusing on the desktop not be a good long term strategy?

Contrary to what seems to be printed in the tech press, I think desktop/laptop computers will be around for quite some time as productivity platforms even if other formats become more popular for passive consumption.

With the other big players focusing on other areas, Linux desktop can fill a niche here.

I see several possible markets for this:

* Mobile device manufacturers who want an 'unbiased' alternative to Android and Google TV, so as to reduce their dependence on Google and transition away from a variety of marginal dead-end proprietary platforms that will be difficult to maintain and extend in the long run.

* Governments and corporations that have standardized on Ubuntu for desktops and laptops and would derive many benefits from using the same platform and administrative tools (e.g., Landscape) on tablets and mobile phones.

* Emerging vendors who want to bring to market new consumer devices and home-automation systems and would want an independent software platform that is easily extensible (e.g., Control4's products are built atop Ubuntu).

* Individuals and other entities who could take advantage of a full, unfettered, 100% Free GNU/Linux stack on their mobile devices. (If it works well, I, for one, would at least try it.)

If Ubuntu had solved the hardware problem in the laptop space already I'd say more power to them. As it is, they really should be cherry picking a limited number of best-of-breed laptop make/models, ensuring support for those and then baking that into their LTS support cycle.

Given the unbelievably more complex hardware environment of handsets, the fact they haven't solved the laptop problem space yet makes me feel like they are biting off more then they can chew.

In some sense, phones are much simpler than PCs: if your phone ships with Ubuntu installed then Ubuntu will work on your phone. Otherwise it won't.

Until the next software upgrade ?

I want multi boot for phones. Why is it acceptable for phones that one can not install another operating system?

If they are going into mobile they better have unique take on it and not just be doing it to say they can. If it looks and works like W8, iOS, or Android then they should not spend he resources.

At the very least, their unique take will be their commitment to openness, which iOS abhors and Android also makes difficult. Hopefully this means we can decide what software to install ourselves, and that we won't need to "root" our phones because they gladly give us root access.

Openness doesn't sell phones to non-geeks. If they cannot do something unique then they shouldn't spend the resources. Also, on a phone, how many of those drivers are going to be closed? Right now it is pretty much video, on a phone it will be interesting.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BinaryDriverHowto

That's a stable project.

1. Started as Desktop Linux... 2. then went via a Ubuntu Server... 3. to now become a smartphone Linux?

How about sticking to #1 and let those that are specialized in #2 and #3 do theirs? It's not like the desktop environment will disappear any time soon.

This sounds great to me. Any additional competition in the phone/tablet space should reap benefits for users.

The article linked to this posting provides more details; the arstechnica article is sadly lacking. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3175558

I wonder if they can do this without getting in trouble with smartphone patents.

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