Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

physicsshark · 2014-08-27 20:47:05

Would you?

ninian · 2014-08-27 22:06:38

Never been much of a fan of Ubuntu on the desktop, and not greatly attracted by its translation to a phone.
When I wanted to tinker with a non-Apple, non-Android smart(ish) phone, I decided that Firefox OS was more my thing.

oliver · 2014-08-27 23:01:48

would all come down to cost. I wouldn't go out of my way

drcouzelis · 2014-08-28 04:40:54

Does it come unlocked and with GNU? In other words, would I be in control of my phone?

Posted from my Jolla mobile.

scryan · 2014-08-28 05:04:20

I would LOVE linux phone.
I don't know what an ubunutu Phone would be... If you mean take the linux kernel, move it to a mobile platform, lock it down and put Canonical in charge of it, I don't know what that offers above android.

The only thing that would interest me over android would be openness... and most of the restriction their comes from carriers and warranties.

I have often found it interesting that it seems so easy or so common to "brick" a phone, but have basically never heard of someone bricking their laptop by installing the wrong thing.

I guess ultimately the idea really only interests me in that I would assume it would function more as a computer, with a greater ability to access some kind of bios, boot options ect... but at that point I would likely be looking for some not-Ubuntu OS to run on it.

So really I guess I am more interested in the hardware it implies to me?

andjeng · 2014-08-28 05:45:03

Nope, I preffer to use my feature phone for calling / texting somebody.
For note taking, I really love my good ol paper and pencil.

jasonwryan · 2014-08-28 05:55:01

drcouzelis wrote:

Does it come unlocked and with GNU? In other words, would I be in control of my phone?
Posted from my Jolla mobile.

I would love one of those. I am so sick of dealing with the clusterfsck that is Android...

pezzonovante · 2014-08-28 13:01:19

Yes I would like it. I would love an Arch-based smartphone OS even better. But I'm worried about the app ecosystem. Perhaps Android app virtualization will be needed.

stevenhoneyman · 2014-08-28 17:20:10

physicsshark wrote:

Would you?

No

Awebb · 2014-08-28 21:32:44

pezzonovante wrote:

Yes I would like it. I would love an Arch-based smartphone OS even better. But I'm worried about the app ecosystem. Perhaps Android app virtualization will be needed.

What would you need apps for besides stuff you shouldn't use anyway (Facebook, Whatsapp)?

bleach · 2014-08-28 23:10:17

I remember chrooting into Arch and Debian on my micro sd card on android that was fun it had no X but had all the tools of those os's. I think it would have to be a well established and backed company for carrier's to pick them up.

I would use a Ubuntu phone but would like it better if I could use a different distro as the native os. there would have to be ports or source of the carrier application for Linux and then each distro could make phone adaptations and Linus and dev's would need to start supporting the hardware for different phones or have a another dev team just for it. I would buy one just to support the idea.

as for Ubuntu phone it will/would probably only be a limited (dumbed down) version of Linux. the way phone hard ware is going now day who knows what the future will hold I mean we have quad core and 2 gig ram on phones now so it all comes down to support.

blackout23 · 2014-08-29 11:57:57

I'd rather buy a Jolla phone. In the end both Ubuntu Touch and Sailfish OS only really appeal to Linux geeks, but the Jolla phone can also run Android apps. I flashed Sailfish OS on my Galaxy Nexus and I love how it handles. Multitasking is really great. On Android I basically use WhatsApp 99% of the time and the indie WhatsApp client for Sailfish OS is good enough. Battery life wasn't great so I switched back to Android until this is sorted out.Still there isn't really anything on Sailfish OS that Android can't do.
It's nice that I can point zypper to openSUSE Factory ARM repos since it uses RPM packages and I can install zsh, htop etc easily and that I get the familiar systemd tools, but that's about it. Unfortunately the community ports of Sailfish OS don't have the AlienDalvik License to run Android Apps.
I can even use systemd-nspawn to start an Arch Linux ARM container on my GNex running Sailfish OS.
I don't see anything compelling with Ubuntu Touch. The "convergence" idea is still years away and I'm not sure if I'd even want to replace my laptop with my phone.

Last edited by blackout23 (2014-08-29 12:00:34)

physicsshark · 2014-08-29 22:21:17

blackout23 wrote:

I'd rather buy a Jolla phone. In the end both Ubuntu Touch and Sailfish OS only really appeal to Linux geeks, but the Jolla phone can also run Android apps. I flashed Sailfish OS on my Galaxy Nexus and I love how it handles. Multitasking is really great. On Android I basically use WhatsApp 99% of the time and the indie WhatsApp client for Sailfish OS is good enough. Battery life wasn't great so I switched back to Android until this is sorted out.Still there isn't really anything on Sailfish OS that Android can't do.
It's nice that I can point zypper to openSUSE Factory ARM repos since it uses RPM packages and I can install zsh, htop etc easily and that I get the familiar systemd tools, but that's about it. Unfortunately the community ports of Sailfish OS don't have the AlienDalvik License to run Android Apps.
I can even use systemd-nspawn to start an Arch Linux ARM container on my GNex running Sailfish OS.
I don't see anything compelling with Ubuntu Touch. The "convergence" idea is still years away and I'm not sure if I'd even want to replace my laptop with my phone.

I don't own a smartphone, but if I did, I think I would want something that supports mainstream apps. Many apps have web versions, but for apps like Snapchat and Instagram, you would be in a fix with any of these new mobile operating systems (Firefox OS, Jolla, Ubuntu Touch, Tizen (?)). I think Jolla is in trouble. Google is encouraging app developers to make ART-based apps that I don't think would be compatible with the Dalvik runtime. But still, if Jolla could attract some market share because it can support Android apps, the app developers might look into developing native Jolla apps.

blackout23 · 2014-08-30 09:24:33

physicsshark wrote:

blackout23 wrote:
I'd rather buy a Jolla phone. In the end both Ubuntu Touch and Sailfish OS only really appeal to Linux geeks, but the Jolla phone can also run Android apps. I flashed Sailfish OS on my Galaxy Nexus and I love how it handles. Multitasking is really great. On Android I basically use WhatsApp 99% of the time and the indie WhatsApp client for Sailfish OS is good enough. Battery life wasn't great so I switched back to Android until this is sorted out.Still there isn't really anything on Sailfish OS that Android can't do.
It's nice that I can point zypper to openSUSE Factory ARM repos since it uses RPM packages and I can install zsh, htop etc easily and that I get the familiar systemd tools, but that's about it. Unfortunately the community ports of Sailfish OS don't have the AlienDalvik License to run Android Apps.
I can even use systemd-nspawn to start an Arch Linux ARM container on my GNex running Sailfish OS.
I don't see anything compelling with Ubuntu Touch. The "convergence" idea is still years away and I'm not sure if I'd even want to replace my laptop with my phone.
I don't own a smartphone, but if I did, I think I would want something that supports mainstream apps. Many apps have web versions, but for apps like Snapchat and Instagram, you would be in a fix with any of these new mobile operating systems (Firefox OS, Jolla, Ubuntu Touch, Tizen (?)). I think Jolla is in trouble. Google is encouraging app developers to make ART-based apps that I don't think would be compatible with the Dalvik runtime. But still, if Jolla could attract some market share because it can support Android apps, the app developers might look into developing native Jolla apps.

Even without the Android apps support Sailfish OS is way more mature than Ubuntu Touch and actually available on the market. Firefox OS is a different market segment ( <50 USD Phones) and Tizen may never see the light of day since Samsung is getting bullied by Google. Android apps will support Dalvik runtime as long as there are devices without Android L which is a very long time.

Last edited by blackout23 (2014-08-30 17:44:07)

physicsshark · 2014-08-30 18:01:12

blackout23 wrote:

Even without the Android apps support Sailfish OS is way more mature than Ubuntu Touch and actually available on the market. Firefox OS is a different market segment ( <50 USD Phones) and Tizen may never see the light of day since Samsung is getting bullied by Google. Android apps will support Dalvik runtime as long as there are devices without Android L which is a very long time.

Still, a tiny little company succeeding where the likes of Microsoft and Blackberry have failed? That's quite a stretch, IMHO. As for hackers, the interface is proprietary (but the Other Half concept is pretty cool).
I think it's interesting to see a company that has one focus: the smartphone (no laptops, no wearables, no tablets, no TVs, no Internet of Things). I imagine tablets will be coming in the future, but with a company so small they are wise to focus on one market (as opposed to Canonical's strategy).

blackout23 · 2014-08-30 18:13:18

physicsshark wrote:

blackout23 wrote:
Even without the Android apps support Sailfish OS is way more mature than Ubuntu Touch and actually available on the market. Firefox OS is a different market segment ( <50 USD Phones) and Tizen may never see the light of day since Samsung is getting bullied by Google. Android apps will support Dalvik runtime as long as there are devices without Android L which is a very long time.
Still, a tiny little company succeeding where the likes of Microsoft and Blackberry have failed? That's quite a stretch, IMHO. As for hackers, the interface is proprietary (but the Other Half concept is pretty cool).
I think it's interesting to see a company that has one focus: the smartphone (no laptops, no wearables, no tablets, no TVs, no Internet of Things). I imagine tablets will be coming in the future, but with a company so small they are wise to focus on one market (as opposed to Canonical's strategy).

Never said that Jolla will definitely gain a sizeable piece of the market. Time will tell. Just saying that from all the iOS/Android/WP alternatives it's the most compelling.

Gusar · 2014-08-30 18:29:50

physicsshark wrote:

Still, a tiny little company succeeding where the likes of Microsoft and Blackberry have failed?

It's exactly because they're tiny that they have a chance of success. They don't need high market share to achieve it, they can be profitable by carving out a sustainable niche.

To address the topic of this thread, I kinda have my doubts that there will ever even be an Ubuntu phone, but even if they do release one, I have no interest. I would possibly buy a Jolla if it weren't for the price (and availability). We'll see how the market looks like in a few years, when I'll be buying a new phone.

Last edited by Gusar (2014-08-30 18:31:28)

physicsshark · 2014-08-30 19:01:13

blackout23 wrote:

Never said that Jolla will definitely gain a sizeable piece of the market. Time will tell. Just saying that from all the iOS/Android/WP alternatives it's the most compelling.

I wasn't trying to imply that you were saying that, just interjecting my own conjecture. And I agree, Jolla is the most compelling alternative.

Gusar wrote:

To address the topic of this thread, I kinda have my doubts that there will ever even be an Ubuntu phone, but even if they do release one, I have no interest. I would possibly buy a Jolla if it weren't for the price (and availability). We'll see how the market looks like in a few years, when I'll be buying a new phone.

Yeah, I started this thread because I was curious about what people thought about Ubuntu Touch, but what people have thought about mobile GNU/Linux in genral and Jolla have proven to be far more interesting. Also, to my knowledge, an Ubuntu Phone should be just around the corner.

Saint0fCloud · 2014-08-30 19:26:13

Awebb wrote:

pezzonovante wrote:
Yes I would like it. I would love an Arch-based smartphone OS even better. But I'm worried about the app ecosystem. Perhaps Android app virtualization will be needed.
What would you need apps for besides stuff you shouldn't use anyway (Facebook, Whatsapp)?

Why yes, those exact apps would be nice

Silex89 · 2014-08-30 21:39:10

jasonwryan wrote:

drcouzelis wrote:
Does it come unlocked and with GNU? In other words, would I be in control of my phone?
Posted from my Jolla mobile.
I would love one of those. I am so sick of dealing with the clusterfsck that is Android...

^This. I guess I'll have to wait for ages until a Jolla phone hits Chile

If Ubuntu Touch gets a reasonable amount of apps in the infrastructure, I would seriously consider it. My main concerns right now are Whatsapp, good integration with Google services (Hangouts, Google+ and GMail) and Chromecast support (to watch netflix, youtube on my TV).

Awebb · 2014-08-31 11:17:56

blackout23 wrote:

Even without the Android apps support Sailfish OS is way more mature than Ubuntu Touch and actually available on the market. Firefox OS is a different market segment ( <50 USD Phones) and Tizen may never see the light of day since Samsung is getting bullied by Google. Android apps will support Dalvik runtime as long as there are devices without Android L which is a very long time.

Do you have any sources about what language Android L will be supporting? Dropping Dalvik is one thing, but dropping the usual way developers have been writing software for the device might be a fatal blow to the ecosystem.

89c51 · 2014-08-31 11:48:53

blackout23 wrote:

I'd rather buy a Jolla phone. In the end both Ubuntu Touch and Sailfish OS only really appeal to Linux geeks, but the Jolla phone can also run Android apps. I flashed Sailfish OS on my Galaxy Nexus and I love how it handles. Multitasking is really great. On Android I basically use WhatsApp 99% of the time and the indie WhatsApp client for Sailfish OS is good enough. Battery life wasn't great so I switched back to Android until this is sorted out.Still there isn't really anything on Sailfish OS that Android can't do.
It's nice that I can point zypper to openSUSE Factory ARM repos since it uses RPM packages and I can install zsh, htop etc easily and that I get the familiar systemd tools, but that's about it. Unfortunately the community ports of Sailfish OS don't have the AlienDalvik License to run Android Apps.
I can even use systemd-nspawn to start an Arch Linux ARM container on my GNex running Sailfish OS.
I don't see anything compelling with Ubuntu Touch. The "convergence" idea is still years away and I'm not sure if I'd even want to replace my laptop with my phone.

On the normal phone the battery life is more than good i think. Also SFOS doesn't feel like using windows on a mobile which is exactly how i feel when i use an Android device. The experience is where it's at with the jolla phone. Yes apps are not many but you cannot blame jolla for this.

And No i wouldn't buy an Ubuntu phone.

qwerty12 · 2014-08-31 13:02:52

Eh, no, I've been down the road of having a GNU/Linux phone that has many of the same backend software that a GNOME 2.x desktop would have. Turns out that with my One M8, I can have a phone with the power of the Linux kernel and have popular apps that are designed for a phone! That said, I do find it funny that getting Busybox onto an Android phone is considered an achievement on XDA. I have a phone with a rather lovely kernel but with a heavily castrated terminal environment and I have a jailbroken tablet running some form of the XNU kernel with GNU coreutils and bash.

Would I buy a Ubuntu phone? Disregarding the above, my answer would still be no. Shuttleworth's response to the controversy generated by the Unity Amazon search lens left a nasty taste in my mouth and (this is from memory and I'm not really that well-informed on this stuff anyway, forgive me if I'm getting things wrong) when they announced Mir out of the blue, they claimed it would be ready before Wayland (therefore it was superior), disregarding the fact that Mir wouldn't've been possible without the work put into improving other components to allow Wayland to work efficiently. Ugh.
I'll admit that Ubuntu's default DE, Unity, is rather nice and they've thought about the user experience but I hate that you can't do simple things like moving the dock and I hate that NotifyOSD is totally unconfigurable by design because of an edict from Ubuntu's BDFL. I bring that up because I remember patching it to allow me to at least close the bloody notifications (my computer was in the living room and some of the songs I listen to don't exactly have family-friendly names). With such attitudes with the desktop, I dread to think what a Ubuntu smartphone (smartphones, sadly, have always been more restricted by default) will be like.

Last edited by qwerty12 (2014-08-31 13:03:33)

Steef435 · 2014-08-31 14:02:55

I tried Ubuntu Touch on my Nexus 4 a while back, and it was a great experience. The Unity interface is the best phone interface I've tried so far(Firefox OS and Android). The default online lenses are annoying but they can be turned off. At the time I was running it there weren't that much apps though, I had to switch back to Android for the devil himself(WhatsApp is the standard for people around me).

Would I buy an Ubuntu phone? Probably not (I don't like Canonical's recent movements). I'd rather buy a Jolla or Tizen phone, though I haven't had the chance to try their operating systems yet. AlienDalvik is just a very nice feature. (but closed-source) If I had to choose between Ubuntu Touch and Android, and the usual apps are available on both platforms, I would probably go for Ubuntu Touch though.

I tried Firefox OS too, it's a whole different market. I can imagine it's going to be great on low budget phones but I don't think it will compete with Android, Tizen and Sailfish.

I guess I have to add I only use a phone because I have to, I'd rather sit behind a desktop with a keyboard.

Last edited by Steef435 (2014-08-31 14:04:12)

GermanyChris · 2014-09-09 16:48:51

Yes

Arch Linux

#1 2014-08-27 20:47:05

Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#2 2014-08-27 22:06:38

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#3 2014-08-27 23:01:48

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#4 2014-08-28 04:40:54

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#5 2014-08-28 05:04:20

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#6 2014-08-28 05:45:03

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#7 2014-08-28 05:55:01

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#8 2014-08-28 13:01:19

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#9 2014-08-28 17:20:10

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#10 2014-08-28 21:32:44

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#11 2014-08-28 23:10:17

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#12 2014-08-29 11:57:57

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#13 2014-08-29 22:21:17

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#14 2014-08-30 09:24:33

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#15 2014-08-30 18:01:12

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#16 2014-08-30 18:13:18

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#17 2014-08-30 18:29:50

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#18 2014-08-30 19:01:13

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#19 2014-08-30 19:26:13

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#20 2014-08-30 21:39:10

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#21 2014-08-31 11:17:56

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#22 2014-08-31 11:48:53

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#23 2014-08-31 13:02:52

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#24 2014-08-31 14:02:55

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

#25 2014-09-09 16:48:51

Re: Would you buy an Ubuntu Phone?

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