8 ms·

> About 1GB of memory is required to run the phone with its default scopes and settings, leaving us about 2GB of space for applications and other features. I d

by lake99 10y ago

> About 1GB of memory is required to run the phone with its default scopes and settings, leaving us about 2GB of space for applications and other features. I did not see this coming. I was under the impression that moving away from a JVM would have lowered the memory requirements. A comparison of the two versions of Meizu Pro 5, Android and Ubuntu, would have been useful too. I am curious if the move away from the Android architecture has changed the responsiveness of apps, or affected battery life.

tangue 10y ago
According to the Verge [1] : "The most powerful Ubuntu phone is still not good enough, The Meizu Pro 5 has the Galaxy S6's processor, but not its performance" [1] : http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/23/11097126/meizu-pro-5-ubuntu-edition-specs-price-release-date-mwc-2016 http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/23/11097126/meizu-pro-5-ubunt...
pjmlp 10y ago
As of Android 5, there is only ART, which is no different than using Go, D, or any other AOT compiled language with a GC enabled runtime. Also many Scopes are actually written in either JavaScript, or QML with C++ and Go as possible code-behind languages. https://developer.ubuntu.com/en/phone/scopes/ https://developer.ubuntu.com/en/phone/scopes/ So overall the runtime requirements aren't much different, unless you are writing a pure Qt/C++ scope (without QML).
- lake99 10y ago
  Ah well, I guess I'll stay with Android for the time being then. I hope they meant to introduce Scopes as a stopgap measure to bridge the app divide to Android and iOS. I don't like this trend of newer (Android) apps needing 20-50MB downloads, and being so bloated for what they actually do.
  - pjmlp 10y ago
    > I don't like this trend of newer (Android) apps needing 20-50MB downloads, and being so bloated for what they actually do. Most of those apps are actually written in Qt, PhoneGap, Xamarin, or whatever portable flavour of the month. Applications written in Java just with the Android Frameworks, are hardly above 10MB in application code, usually the rest are image/audio resources or a collection of the "Java framework of the month" for Android.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
coolspot 10y ago
Ubuntu Touch actually runs parts of Android in the LXC container. Maybe this is why is not very memory efficient. https://developer.ubuntu.com/static/devportal_uploaded/136981fa-6287-49d3-9874-06f40b2e4eb7-cms_page_media/380/ubuntu_touch_architecture.png https://developer.ubuntu.com/static/devportal_uploaded/13698...
- jsight 10y ago
  AFAIK, that is just the Android HAL. I can't imagine that part using much memory.
mrmondo 10y ago
Likewise, how on earth do you manage to make Linux use 1GB of RAM without running Java or some sort of large, memory optimised database?
- pjmlp 10y ago
  JavaScript, QML and Go.
  - mrmondo 10y ago
    Totally agree with JavaScript, it's the new Java except that it's lowered the bar to people that otherwise couldn't write 'applications', which while thats great for learners and education - it means that you tend to get people that are great designers and good at product branding pushing poorly engineered software. Go however, in my experience tends to be very fast and lightweight. I don't know anything about QML so won't comment.
    - pjmlp 10y ago
      QML is something like XAML for UI design, but it is based on JavaScript. You can write a full application in QML if the built in widgets are good enough.
- Arnt 10y ago
  Twenty years ago we linuxheads poked fun at Irix for starting 36 daemons on a singleuser workstation. Or was it 43? Whatever the number, I guess ubuntu has caught up.
  - mrmondo 10y ago
    Sir, I approve of your comment :) Ubuntu is the one distro that I wouldn't want to run on my phone, but I'd love a functioning Linux phone that's well setup and maintained, I think the real kicker for me would be able to plug it into a simple dock when I get to work and have my full desktop OS running, but first we need a distro that's more... shall we say 'sensible' or 'tested' taking on that task I think. I wonder if it has block level encryption and SELinux enabled? I'd hope so.

by lake99 10y ago

tangue 10y ago

According to the Verge [1] : "The most powerful Ubuntu phone is still not good enough, The Meizu Pro 5 has the Galaxy S6's processor, but not its performance" [1] : http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/23/11097126/meizu-pro-5-ubuntu-edition-specs-price-release-date-mwc-2016 http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/23/11097126/meizu-pro-5-ubunt...

pjmlp 10y ago

As of Android 5, there is only ART, which is no different than using Go, D, or any other AOT compiled language with a GC enabled runtime. Also many Scopes are actually written in either JavaScript, or QML with C++ and Go as possible code-behind languages. https://developer.ubuntu.com/en/phone/scopes/ https://developer.ubuntu.com/en/phone/scopes/ So overall the runtime requirements aren't much different, unless you are writing a pure Qt/C++ scope (without QML).

lake99 10y ago
Ah well, I guess I'll stay with Android for the time being then. I hope they meant to introduce Scopes as a stopgap measure to bridge the app divide to Android and iOS. I don't like this trend of newer (Android) apps needing 20-50MB downloads, and being so bloated for what they actually do.
- pjmlp 10y ago
  > I don't like this trend of newer (Android) apps needing 20-50MB downloads, and being so bloated for what they actually do. Most of those apps are actually written in Qt, PhoneGap, Xamarin, or whatever portable flavour of the month. Applications written in Java just with the Android Frameworks, are hardly above 10MB in application code, usually the rest are image/audio resources or a collection of the "Java framework of the month" for Android.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

coolspot 10y ago

Ubuntu Touch actually runs parts of Android in the LXC container. Maybe this is why is not very memory efficient. https://developer.ubuntu.com/static/devportal_uploaded/136981fa-6287-49d3-9874-06f40b2e4eb7-cms_page_media/380/ubuntu_touch_architecture.png https://developer.ubuntu.com/static/devportal_uploaded/13698...

jsight 10y ago
AFAIK, that is just the Android HAL. I can't imagine that part using much memory.

mrmondo 10y ago

Likewise, how on earth do you manage to make Linux use 1GB of RAM without running Java or some sort of large, memory optimised database?

pjmlp 10y ago
JavaScript, QML and Go.
- mrmondo 10y ago
  Totally agree with JavaScript, it's the new Java except that it's lowered the bar to people that otherwise couldn't write 'applications', which while thats great for learners and education - it means that you tend to get people that are great designers and good at product branding pushing poorly engineered software. Go however, in my experience tends to be very fast and lightweight. I don't know anything about QML so won't comment.
  - pjmlp 10y ago
    QML is something like XAML for UI design, but it is based on JavaScript. You can write a full application in QML if the built in widgets are good enough.
Arnt 10y ago
Twenty years ago we linuxheads poked fun at Irix for starting 36 daemons on a singleuser workstation. Or was it 43? Whatever the number, I guess ubuntu has caught up.
- mrmondo 10y ago
  Sir, I approve of your comment :) Ubuntu is the one distro that I wouldn't want to run on my phone, but I'd love a functioning Linux phone that's well setup and maintained, I think the real kicker for me would be able to plug it into a simple dock when I get to work and have my full desktop OS running, but first we need a distro that's more... shall we say 'sensible' or 'tested' taking on that task I think. I wonder if it has block level encryption and SELinux enabled? I'd hope so.