November 16th, 2011 by
Big thanks to everyone who turned up at the Ubuntu Developer Summit in Orlando to discuss Ubuntu’s future on new devices!
Now, following Mark Shuttleworth’s keynote announcement and a number of initial UDS sessions on tablets, TVs and smartphones, we are setting up new channels to pick up the conversation.
We’ve got three new mailing lists for everyone to participate in. Just follow these links and sign up (click ”Join the team” on the right-hand side):
- Ubuntu Tablet mailing list on Launchpad
- Ubuntu TV mailing list on Launchpad
- Ubuntu Phone mailing list on Launchpad
See also our previous post: Getting in touch with us
The toolkit
56 Responseshide comments
This is exciting!
Ubuntu should focus on what they have and make it the best… phone is a bad idea… I would never buy a ubuntu phone to use stupid useless apps(its already crowded and confusing – meego,android)… I would like ubuntu first become the leader in desktops,laptops and netbooks…
Things are moving too quickly and the Desktop’s popularity is declining too rapidly to stay focused on only one item. They’re looking towards the future. It’s a very exciting thing that we have happening. They’re not ceasing development on the desktop; in fact, they’re focusing a lot of 12.04′s development into enhancing unity for power users!
Ubuntu is not a stagnant concept. Computing is irreversibly shifting towards mobile platforms and so are the users. Ubuntu must be where the human beings are. Also, the Ubuntu Desktop is not going anywhere, it’s getting a lot of love from both designers and developers at the moment. As for the future – a refined, stable and lively desktop OS is in our full interest. With Unity we can deliver Ubuntu phones that possess the full productive capabilities of an desktop environment when connected to the right set of peripherals (e.g. display, keyboard).
I am a human being, and I hate the new concept of unity.
I have a freaking iPhone already, I don’t want my desktop to look like one.
Elnetotaca: If you don’t want your desktop to look like an Apple iPhone, what would you like your desktop to look like? Can you identify the features that you really want to see?
Well, here is the deal;
MANY users don’t like the way Unity works
I was thinking that it has to work in “true classic mode”
all the time, then when you sync your “devices”
which it can be your ubuntu phone, ubuntu tablet, etc.
then it enters on a “trance mode” where it will act like the unity everyone knows.
the reason being is that the way the applications are sorted in Unity is just a mess.
my compiz don’t work properly, and I can’t configure many things like the windows, I just don’t like it.
and many others don’t either.
All I am saying is;
there are many old issues that haven’t being fixed.
Focus on those issues and fix them, instead mixing things up and bringing up way worst issues than before.
and if I have to pay for my Ubuntu Distro directly to canonica, I WILL, just listen to your people.
Thanks!
May I answer that question?
Personally, I have left Unity for Gnome Shell (on a family desktop) and Lubuntu (on a personal netbook).
Here are usability issues I’ve encountered, if you’d like to know them:
- The launcher gets in the way when using applications with a toolbox on the left (like Inkscape); the new auto-hide behavior is a step down from what used to be in 10.10, where the launcher was triggered in the corner
- The new auto-hide window buttons don’t follow Fitts’ law (i.e. you can’t close the window by clicking in the corner)
- It’s frustrating that the “X” window button quits most application, but doesn’t quit Banshee or Rhythmbox.
- The window overview in Activities in Gnome Shell is a great way to switch windows. Could you add quick window swithing to Ubuntu, too?
Also, how does Ubuntu plan to implement Gnome Shell’s application menu, on which it seems a bunch of new Gnome applications will rely? Or will Ubuntu not adopt these new applications?
Good point.
A phone and a desktop are too separate things. I love both, and I don’t want my desktop to turn into a phone. Each one has its functionality and its use cases. So don’t tell me that now in 2011, you got so smart and will reinvente the Desktop by copying mobile phones UI. Can you imagine Unity on a 27″ monitor ? Well no thank you, if I wanted a phone I’ll buy a phone, not change my desktop into a phone.
So I’ll say yes to an Ubuntu Phone, and no to Unity on the desktop. Ubuntu with Unity has no future on the desktop. Just look at OS X Lion and Windows 8. They are not mobile mocks.
Do you have a plan or a planning about Ubuntu “mobile” ? What is the first step for this project ?
I really appreciate the movment towards mobile bandwagon. On the other hand, there are 3-4 major operating system in the market. I do agree that the community can give better aspects. Most of the people believe in the concept of free rather than getting open source code of software. Linux based Android operating system is free.
While Google sitting on top of pile of cash and there’s one more community based development happening there, I am not sure where Ubuntu will pitch in. I am talking about the humans you’re going to address.
Linux distros in general haven’t been very successful in attracting developers or OEMs, and I have doubts that there will be an influx either for a phone Ubuntu or a tablet Ubuntu. Android has a massive number of touch-enabled applications and a wide support from OEMs (even despite great pressure from Microsoft), but it has gotten there because it got there first (well, second, after iOS, but that’s a locked platform that only Apple could use).
What tricks does Ubuntu have up its sleeve? How does it plan to attract OEMs?
Because, IMHO, to be successful, Ubuntu would have to be mindblowingly innovative to be able to convince OEMs and developers to choose it instead of Android.
“Linux distros in general haven’t been very successful in attracting developers [..]. Android has a massive number of touch-enabled applications”
Android is a Linux distro. Not LSB-compliant, but still a Linux distro.
“or OEMs”
Dell, System76, Nokia… Or just install it on whatever you have.
“What tricks does Ubuntu have up its sleeve?”
I’ve seen projects for running Android apps on Ubuntu. I’ve been wanting a small tablet computer, but the toys out there right now don’t impress me. I want to be able to run both touchscreen apps and desktop software on the same OS. A Unity tablet with a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard could serve both kinds of interfaces nicely. Maybe hook it up to a bigger display on occasion for editing photos and spreadsheets.
If they polish up the stuff to run Android apps on Ubuntu, and improve Unity’s usability for desktops, then I’d get it all in one OS. I don’t know about you, but that would be something I’d be willing to spend money on, especially if it has a screen that’s good for reading books.
“Ubuntu must be where the human beings are”
Very true, but in the phone space, Android (Google) are there already and doing a lot of business in third world countries. Apple are there for the richer people. Where will you fit in? Which handset manufacturers? What patent holders?
Good luck with it all.
Maybe phones is a step too far on day one, but I’d buy a tablet tomorrow…. especially that new Asus Transformer Prime!
Very exciting…
Please do not build new smartphones with ubuntu! I can not think of that and it’s a great opportunity for Canonical but it does not fit on the setting of Ubuntu. Leisure and humanity.
Will you produce a phone with free software if it is damaged by environmental resources? Will you produce a phone that is produced in China or elsewhere to wage dumping.
Do you want to risk the security of data in a smart phone with free software?
My idea is: Produces a Ubuntu for smartphones, which can boot on existing systems. For example, an Android phone for which there are no more updates. A variant of the boot with Ubuntu instead of Android when manufacturers give no more updates. Or an old phone with Symbian (Nokia). Refurbished with new software. Starts with current equipment at the time. The performance data are known. What dominates android can also go with Ubuntu.
Better for the environment, human and in the style of Ubuntu. That’s humanity and the environment and that can bring Ubuntu to the front on the market.
Look in older systems and look for example on SonyEricsson’s Symbian UIQ3 P1i. It looks like a little gnome. It can work
For several months I already have many ideas for a smartphone with Ubuntu in my drawer. Get in touch with me for more information if you want.
best regards
Oliver
NICE!
now I am going to have a phone that has a broken wi-fi support!
what else???
Ubuntu sucks!
Canonical was sooOOOOOOoooo close to conquer the Desktop market, and now its all gone!
I hate the disrespect that Canonical has shown to the users(we the users, the ones that helped spread the word, and that where loyal to the product(Ubuntu))
I hate it.
That’s why everyone has jumped ship to linux mint. Ubuntu has been garbage for awhile now, and well, the good folks in the LM community are basically taking up massive speed.
It’s good to see al the haters are moving to Linux Mint
I like Unity. Sure it has some issues and things that needs to be improved. Sure you need to adjust your computerbehavior to the new user interface … Once you’re used to it it feels natural. I like Unity
I hate the disrespect that some people has shown to the ubuntu users and ubuntu community. it’s a really poor behavior…
Love unity and Ubuntu, would be great on phones if it is supported for a long time rather than 2 years like on iphone!
I’d love to see Ubuntu everywhere. Unfortunately I don’t believe it’ll happen any time soon. Here’s why:
What Mark promise in his keynotes not very often happen. Do you remember great talk about “Window Indicators”? Where are they? Do you remember when he was talking about “Ubuntu Light” for OEMs? Is any OEM using that? Do you remember Wayland? Do you remember 200.000.000 users? Do you believe in that?
Well, I don’t.
Windicators were just an idea that was announced nothing but did not happen due to other important things.
For wayland you might want to re-read that post.
Users target: 4years and this is the direction that could possibly make that happen.
I dont believe in you.
I was working on a lenses-based mobile unity interface a little before canonical announced that ubuntu mobile would be coming out. How do i make sure that the “right” people see my mock-ups? i’ve never used a mailing list before.
Cars … maybe.
Smartphones …. snowball’s chance in hell!
Tablets … yeah sure !
However I’ll eat my own keyboard if Ubuntu Mobile reaches 1% of market share in smartphones by 2018.
Godspeed.
I for 1 would definitely use this on my phone. There have also been some awesome mock ups for it already and looks like it has so much potential.
Check this out!
http://i.imgur.com/56vDn.jpg
with a high market competition from wind*s & mac,ubuntu became the 3rd popular os used in the world.congrats for that for the entire canonical team.
now after ubuntu software its time for ubuntu hardware,canonical support for free(dom) hardware
like opensparc,open graphicsproject,opencores,arduino and the reprap project can give profit by selling them as well as, can create its own manufacturing with a little r&d work.
This whole trendy move towards “mobile devices and TV” is toxic and foolish, Microsoft tried it and is failing, apple and google are successful, but only due to sheer size and capital to back it and the development and infrastructure required to support it. For a small company like Canonical to waste precious few resources on this reminds me of another promising OS company, Be Inc. BeOS was, at that time more advanced than either MacOS and Windows…but they refocused their efforts to put BeOS on fridges and toasters losing focus of what they had and the company went under as a result. Stick to making a fantastic desktop and laptop experience; those form factors arent going anywhere despite the annual laughably stupid “the PC is dead” proclamations.
I’m impressed with the design centred direction Canonical has taken, but dont lose that focus, otherwise Ubuntu could join BeOS and WebOS in failed OS heaven with other promising OSes whose companies foolishly chased trendy “devices” instead of focusing on strengths.
I don’t think there’s anything trendy about the move towards mobile and TV. Plain sales figures strongly point in that direction. To many, for example in Africa, mobile devices are even the primary means of getting connected and doing everyday computing. If we don’t move into this space, then who will? Are we happy to leave it to Apple, Google and Microsoft?
Like said before, the desktop will not be getting any less love, but there will be other foci as well. It isn’t a zero-sum game. Apple’s focus on mobile has benefited their desktop OS tremendously. Most of the recent design innovation in OS X has come from the iOS side – and has improved their apps in particular – like moving away from nested menus, the rise of tablet style panelled interfaces and minimalistic phone style apps like Tweetie/Twitter etc. etc.
The point that Ubuntu is for Human Being, and for Canonical (and Canonical must survive). You can make a move on new Technology, but you don’t have to leave the majority of “old age” royal communities in cold.
Just have an easy option during the installation or the first login for them to choose.
1. Unity (Fully support by Canonical)
2. Genome Classic (Canonical does not provide updates for Gnome Desktop. Some updates may be provided by the Ubuntu community).
and the third and fourth if they are available.
3. TV – Unity (Support by Canonical)
4. Netbook & Tablet (Support by Canonical)
Human Being is for freedom and not forcing them to choose one Theme of Freedom.
Ubuntu can provide options which is from community support, since Mark said it is too costly to provide options. Which I accept his position, since he has to make sure Canonical survival and he has the “duty to leap forward”.
Canonical said
In Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric), GNOME 2 has been replaced by GNOME 3. The default desktop is Unity, with Unity 2D as a fallback. The “classic” GNOME desktop option is not shown by default. However, a “Classic” desktop built upon GNOME 3 is still available.
And those “old age” communities have to hunt painfully how to install that old love or legacy Classic Menu.
Ubuntu “NetBook Remix” have that option in the old day,
though unreliable.
If Mark and Canonical show the “backward” community some respect that you have tried to provide comfortable switch to the old classic.
No one will express dissatisfaction and you will not lost as many supporters as you have, more important degrading the hard to build “Good Will” of Mark & Canonical.
Why can’t you make a button or an option so you can switch easy between the old and the new Unity?
=================================================
Canonical was born from those customers’ royalties.
And Canonical don’t need to betray them to leap forward.
Canonical can leap forward with care to those “old age” community. And the Good Will and Respect will keep growing and not diminishing.
=================================================
I agree that Ubuntu should move to Mobile, Tablet and TV and make them easy integration with Desktop, but we don’t need to force everyone to go unity on Desktop.
So I beg to Mark and Canonical team, please have an easy option for Classic Menu, or include Classic Menu Indicator as in
http://www.florian-diesch.de/software/classicmenu-indicator/
as one of the program option on desktop, or in the shutdown menu or in any other prominent spot, where people can see it easy.
Google and Yahoo, even Microsoft(in the old day) when they provide new look or desktop environment, they will provide the easy option for old royal customers to choose.
You have to treat your royal communities as royal customers and make them grow in quantities as well as qualities. And Canonical will grow as Google does.
Best Wishes to Mark and his teams.
while canonical is moving in the direction tablets, it seems to hardware producers are moving away:
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20111116PD216.html
i don’t use a tablet and i know no-one who does.
focusing on such devices seems to be an overreaction to me.
Wow really excited to see this and for me (maybe a minority here) this will be better for having Unity behind it all.
Really would bend over backwards to get an affordable phone and could even be tempted with other devices
Would like to get involved
– English
Actually I have not smartphone.Y after having used Ubuntu since 2009, have seen the changes, as they have grown slowly. I decided to wait until smartphones are already Ubuntu. And I’m looking forward!!!
—Español
La verdad no tengo smartphone.Y despues de haber utilizado Ubuntu desde el 2009, haber visto los cambios, como han crecido poco a poco. He decido esperar a que hallan ya smartphones con Ubuntu. Y los estoy esperando con ansias!!!
me too! go canonical go!
I have been using Ubuntu since 9.04.
I loved it from the very start and I have been using it as my only OS after only using it for two days or so, except for playing windows games that do not run under wine.
I have always run my desktop in classic mode, also when I was still using windows, because I have no need for animated icons, wobbly guis and god knows what other crap that slows down PCs for no good reason.
I tried Unity in 11.04 but I could not stand it and not even 5 minutes later I was back in classic mode.
What a relief that was.
As I do a lot of (game) development, writing patches as a hobby, I bought a new pc (second hand but new to me) to have it as my main development PC dedicated to this one project running a fresh install of 11.10 figuring I could just run it in classic mode, just like I have always done and simply ignore Unity.
You can not imagine how dissapointed I was to find that unity is now the default and the classic mode is nowhere near classic anymore when I booted it from my shiny new terra byte HDD.
I tried, I really tried for three horrible weeks, to get used to it but I can not and I will not try to do so no longer. I switch between tasks and not applications.
I lose precious time having to click al over the place to get aplications running (Are four clicks really needed to open an aplication?), even swiching between two instances of the same aplication takes multiple clicks, once you get both running that is. Yes, I do use the mouse a lot and no I do not want to remember and type the first few letters of an aplication to get to it faster.
Now I do know and I do realise that Gnome2 is dead and that Ubuntu is not at fault here but really, guys and girls, did you have to force Unity on the desktop user?
As people stated before … if I wanted a smartphone or a tablet I would have bought one of those.
I wish you all the best in the future and I do hope that you succeed but I will not be there to see it.
I am about to install distro number 6 in my quest for replacing Ubuntu and so far Linux Mint is winning me over because they listen and act on what they hear (MATE anyone?).
Now if you will excuse me, I am gone.
Implementing some features and tweaks that some of my 1600 (and increasing) users have requested, even if I do implement stuff sometimes that I do not agree with for 100%.
Unlike some I listen to my userbase and it pays of BIGTIME.
ps:
You know what turned me off, even more than Unity itself? The simple fact that every single topic opened on the Ubuntu forums about the subject gets moved to the community cafe section.
I do not know if you have an influence there but it looks bad, reflects on you (Canonical) and is plain unrespectful towards your userbase.
Sounds to me like you were too lazy to take few minutes and customize it to your needs. I spent a few minutes adding my core apps to the launcher and was done. My only frustration was window switching in apps but with a bit of looking at system settings, I was able to set up a key shortcut for that. As for clicking around in apps I’m really surprised that a developer uses the mouse so much for task switching. Using keyboard shortcuts is much faster.
Whoa! Ubuntu Phone? That sounds really interesting. I would get one.
me too
I don’t think that tablets and smartphones are the future; a tablet, what is it? A computer? No. An e-book reader? No. A graphics tablet? No. In my opinion their existence makes no sense. Smartphones? If I need a computer I buy one, if a need a phone I just want a phone.
I hope that Ubuntu will focus on the making of a great desktop os.
I would like a stable system that works properly; a release every 6 months it’s not necessary.
a tablet is a touch interface computer that allow you to more interact with your computing experience.
I don’t agree; a keyboard and a touchpad are a thousand times more comfortable and more powerful.
A touchscreen adds nearly nothing to the user exeperience.
yea the keyboard kind of takes away of it
I think it’s a matter of personal preferences and use cases (think on paint apps, for example).
Yes, but this is why I mentioned graphics tablets, which are specific for this kind of applications.
i think making Ubuntu mobile is an excellent way to expand the possibilities of what you can do with Ubuntu and open source in general.
Ubuntu in mobile Phone?? awww yea i love this thing. Forget That iOS! Use ubuntu!
courageous choice, but due!
the future is in mobile devices and nanotechnology, forget laptops, dasktop, as we know them today.tomorrow we will have in our pocket pc all day.Canonical is working very well.
the fortune helps brave people!
I believe the future is on intelligent devices (i believe in that http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=6Cf7IL_eZ38&vq=medium). I think that is canonical in the right direction, but …
Wich device manufacturer that will use ubuntu on your devices? Is there an agreement?
without a major hardware partner I fear that ubuntu will be turning into another Meego.
I work in an educational project that currently uses Meego, but lost a lot of strength when the intel jumped the ship.
I have been using Unity now with an open mind to it for a few months. While I have to agree that it is lacking some of the flexibility that I was accustom to in Gnome, it is growing on me. So far what I have seen in this thread is a lot of unproductive angry responses instead of healthy productive requests by the users of the developers. Yes I don’t love everything about it yet, but this is where we users give feedback of what we would like to improve. While I don’t feel the desktop is by any means dead, the market is moving more and more towards tablets and phones which even a stick in the mud kind of guy like me can appreciate. I am actually thrilled at the possibility of using GNUcash, viewing websites normally without having to get special content apps and having a said mobile device that works in my home network exactly like a PC. I guess an example would be how my wife’s iTouch requires an app for Youtube, one for Netflix etc instead of just working seamlessly in the browser. (Yes still dreaming of the day Netflix opens up on Linux natively which with Ubuntu Mobile might happen.)
good point and netflix on ubuntu would be nice
Ubuntu smartphones? Great. We will have a computer in our hands with less pain in your wallet. I hope there will be lots of benefits, cloud computing, desktop synchronizing with no time, less hardware problems, everything is much easier. I love Unity, by the way, you just have to adapt.
My question is, do we heading there for share markets? With Android?
omg im peeing in my paints waiting
i think you mean “pants”
i think that the phone market needs an OS that have to be robust, and a real OS actually. I think that if canonical puts their hands on this, ubuntu can expand their possibilitis to a hold new universe. how great would be if i can use a native desktop app on a mobile devices. ubuntu can make this possible. we have to run because the people from redmont see this thing and they are working on this. windows 8, is going to give an amazing experience making possible the development of apps for desktop and mobile devices. we need this and is have to be done now.
PD: sorry for my english i need to work a lot on this.
Hi All,
I tried to create a login on launchpad, I have an error message :
Apologies, the page you came from was a little old. Perhaps you navigated here from a browser window other than the one you used to login. If so, try using the other browser window. Or, try your action again, starting from our home page.
I am interested to work on a TV / tablet or phone,
Do you ship the hardware with a jtag or a boot method?
Best Regards,
Fred