6 ms·

As soon as Ubuntu Phone becomes stable enough for daily use, I will switch from Android to it. Coupled with a powerful processor and plenty of spare solid-stat

by cs702 14y ago

As soon as Ubuntu Phone becomes stable enough for daily use, I will switch from Android to it. Coupled with a powerful processor and plenty of spare solid-state memory, Ubuntu Phone will allow me to walk around and travel with my entire desktop environment in my pocket -- including round-the-clock access to everything available in official and third-party Ubuntu repositories. (Have you ever needed access to an editor, language, database backend, etc. when you happen to be without a laptop? No problem, Ubuntu Phone will allow you to install and run all these things on your phone.)

endianswap 14y ago
Won't many of the projects in the Ubuntu repositories be unavailable because of architectural reasons, i.e. ARM phones versus x86/64 desktops?
- graue 14y ago
  What projects are you concerned about? I run Raspbian, another Debian-based distro, on my Raspberry Pi (ARMv6 CPU) and haven't run into any missing packages yet. Can't imagine there are many projects out there these days that are still architecture-specific, outside of compilers and JITs and so forth, many of which (e.g. LuaJIT, V8, LLVM) already support ARM.
  - Inufu 14y ago
    As an example, Yesod doesn't work on the raspberry pi, because GHCi is not in the debian ARM repositories. This is annoying, because compiling everything yourself takes forever on the raspberry.
    - graue 14y ago
      Ah, interesting, had actually looked into GHC and knew there was no GHCi support for ARM (also, ARM is only a Tier 2 platform), but did not realize that made it impractical to use Yesod. That kinda sucks. http://hackage.haskell.org/trac/ghc/wiki/Platforms http://hackage.haskell.org/trac/ghc/wiki/Platforms
    - parimm 14y ago
      Have you tried using distcc for compiling large packages?
    - zanny 14y ago
      It should be noted there is a difference between "not in repos, so I have to manually build, but it works" and "there is absolutely no way to run this software on this platform due to the processor". It is really promising for the current software written against glibc and friends to have all these arm devices running homebrew ARM builds without many hitches. Especially compared to a platform like, say, Windows, where even though there is an ARM version (Windows RT) which is extremely stripped down and awful on all fronts, there is no software for it because of API compatibility issues and the fact that without open source recompiling most of the Windows software catalog is impossible.
- AnthonyMouse 14y ago
  >Won't many of the projects in the Ubuntu repositories be unavailable because of architectural reasons, i.e. ARM phones versus x86/64 desktops? Almost the entirety of Linux userland software is very portable because the server space needs it to run on x86/sparc/power/itanic/whatever. There are exceptions but they tend to be rare and temporary, because hardware vendors don't want customers switching to x86 just because foo app doesn't run on their architecture, and for open source apps the hardware vendors can fix it themselves. Meanwhile Linux is about the only sensible thing you can currently install on the vast expanse of old PowerPC Macs that can't run current versions of MacOS but can run current versions of Ubuntu or Debian, so any that get recycled into a personal server or a DVR box or whatever will have users pointing out any problems and requesting they be fixed. And for the most part portability is portability: If you find x86 assembly somewhere and replace it with portable C and an ifdef to use the asm only on x86, or fix an endian issue, you haven't just fixed it for PowerPC or SPARC, you've fixed it for everyone. This, incidentally, is why having a single architecture is so unhealthy: It promotes everyone forgetting about portability entirely, which prevents new, better architectures from taking hold merely because it's so much more work to port the existing installed base of software.
- achiang 14y ago
  Much of the software in Ubuntu is available on ARM today. If you have an Ubuntu ARM device (say, you are running the desktop on a Panda board), you can launch Ubuntu Software Centre and see for yourself. For a less pretty view (and one that will only make much sense if you already understand how the Ubuntu archives are organized (poorly)), check out http://ports.ubuntu.com/ http://ports.ubuntu.com/
stinos 14y ago
This sounds somewhat too optimistic? Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd think the majority of people using their laptop for the tasks you talk about would prefer a real keyboard and some usable screen estate over a small screen and slow typing anyday. Might get the job done, but fun is otherwise and it's definitely not the right tool for the desktop job.
- killerpopiller 14y ago
  well thats the beauty, you can just plug keyboard/mouse via usb and hdmi for screen into your phone, ehm desktop-PC - see raspberry pis, cubieboard and so on. really looking forward to it.
  - natem345 14y ago
    If you're going to use all those adapters & accessories... you may as well just use a desktop or laptop. Which probably already has all those packages you frequently use, and runs them faster.
    - rahoulb 14y ago
      I guess if I'm going to my parents' or a friend's and I know they've got a keyboard and monitor - I just take my phone instead of my laptop. If I don't know what's available at my destination then I take the extra bag. (although I use a 3G iPad for emergencies - it is an extra bag but only a small one)
    - jlgreco 14y ago
      Who likes traveling with a laptop? As much as a soft-keyboard and connectbot suck, I already commonly use them as a replacement for carrying around a laptop. The convenience of needing a pocket instead of a bag is worth it. (Also, who cares about speed? It's not like you are going to be rendering or building on it, so even the most modest of smartphones today will be more than enough. We no longer need the latest and greatest to be productive.)
- scarmig 14y ago
untog 14y ago
Have you ever needed access to an editor, language, database backend, etc. when you happen to be without a laptop? Honestly? No. I can't imagine the agony of trying to type out a SQL query on my phone. I have a Macbook Air, which is light enough for me to carry around with me the vast majority of the time- it's great. If I wanted something smaller I would perhaps get a tablet with a keyboard (or a netbook, if they weren't all terrible)... but doing any meaningful work on my phone? No thanks. I can barely bring myself to type out a reasonably-sized e-mail on mine.
- calinet6 14y ago
  If a keyboard is important to you, the Droid 4 actually has a great one. Using it with the Terminal android app is a breeze. However, the rest of the phone sucks, so I can't recommend it.
  - buu700 14y ago
    Honestly, I prefer my Droid 4 keyboard to the vast majority of laptop keyboards. I can't begin to describe how convenient it is to have an SSH client with a genuinely good keyboard right in my pocket at all times.
    - rve 14y ago
      just try galaxy note ii and u'll throw your Droid 4 away
    - calinet6 14y ago
      Yeah, the MBP keyboard is not really a fair comparison, but I definitely think the little D4 keyboard is far superior to most PC laptop keyboards, especially the compact ones.
  - dllthomas 14y ago
    Haven't tried the Droid 4, but the Droid 3 is fine, and the keyboard perfectly serviceable in a pinch.
shmerl 14y ago
I'd rather go for Sailfish.
codex 14y ago
This is the funniest comment I've read in a long time. Kudos, cs702!
denzil_correa 14y ago
> Have you ever needed access to an editor, language, database backend, etc. when you happen to be without a laptop? No problem, Ubuntu Phone will allow you to install and run all these things on your phone. I used to perform most of these tasks on Nokia phone (yes, right!) - N900. Too bad, it didn't pick up on the market. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N900 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N900
- dgdg 14y ago
  I just wanted to say the same thing.
- bxbb 14y ago
  > N900. Too bad, it didn't pick up on the market. Wrong pick on the OS name, I guess :P.

by cs702 14y ago

endianswap 14y ago

Won't many of the projects in the Ubuntu repositories be unavailable because of architectural reasons, i.e. ARM phones versus x86/64 desktops?

graue 14y ago
What projects are you concerned about? I run Raspbian, another Debian-based distro, on my Raspberry Pi (ARMv6 CPU) and haven't run into any missing packages yet. Can't imagine there are many projects out there these days that are still architecture-specific, outside of compilers and JITs and so forth, many of which (e.g. LuaJIT, V8, LLVM) already support ARM.
- Inufu 14y ago
  As an example, Yesod doesn't work on the raspberry pi, because GHCi is not in the debian ARM repositories. This is annoying, because compiling everything yourself takes forever on the raspberry.
  - graue 14y ago
    Ah, interesting, had actually looked into GHC and knew there was no GHCi support for ARM (also, ARM is only a Tier 2 platform), but did not realize that made it impractical to use Yesod. That kinda sucks. http://hackage.haskell.org/trac/ghc/wiki/Platforms http://hackage.haskell.org/trac/ghc/wiki/Platforms
  - parimm 14y ago
    Have you tried using distcc for compiling large packages?
  - zanny 14y ago
    It should be noted there is a difference between "not in repos, so I have to manually build, but it works" and "there is absolutely no way to run this software on this platform due to the processor". It is really promising for the current software written against glibc and friends to have all these arm devices running homebrew ARM builds without many hitches. Especially compared to a platform like, say, Windows, where even though there is an ARM version (Windows RT) which is extremely stripped down and awful on all fronts, there is no software for it because of API compatibility issues and the fact that without open source recompiling most of the Windows software catalog is impossible.
AnthonyMouse 14y ago
>Won't many of the projects in the Ubuntu repositories be unavailable because of architectural reasons, i.e. ARM phones versus x86/64 desktops? Almost the entirety of Linux userland software is very portable because the server space needs it to run on x86/sparc/power/itanic/whatever. There are exceptions but they tend to be rare and temporary, because hardware vendors don't want customers switching to x86 just because foo app doesn't run on their architecture, and for open source apps the hardware vendors can fix it themselves. Meanwhile Linux is about the only sensible thing you can currently install on the vast expanse of old PowerPC Macs that can't run current versions of MacOS but can run current versions of Ubuntu or Debian, so any that get recycled into a personal server or a DVR box or whatever will have users pointing out any problems and requesting they be fixed. And for the most part portability is portability: If you find x86 assembly somewhere and replace it with portable C and an ifdef to use the asm only on x86, or fix an endian issue, you haven't just fixed it for PowerPC or SPARC, you've fixed it for everyone. This, incidentally, is why having a single architecture is so unhealthy: It promotes everyone forgetting about portability entirely, which prevents new, better architectures from taking hold merely because it's so much more work to port the existing installed base of software.
achiang 14y ago
Much of the software in Ubuntu is available on ARM today. If you have an Ubuntu ARM device (say, you are running the desktop on a Panda board), you can launch Ubuntu Software Centre and see for yourself. For a less pretty view (and one that will only make much sense if you already understand how the Ubuntu archives are organized (poorly)), check out http://ports.ubuntu.com/ http://ports.ubuntu.com/

stinos 14y ago

This sounds somewhat too optimistic? Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd think the majority of people using their laptop for the tasks you talk about would prefer a real keyboard and some usable screen estate over a small screen and slow typing anyday. Might get the job done, but fun is otherwise and it's definitely not the right tool for the desktop job.

killerpopiller 14y ago
well thats the beauty, you can just plug keyboard/mouse via usb and hdmi for screen into your phone, ehm desktop-PC - see raspberry pis, cubieboard and so on. really looking forward to it.
- natem345 14y ago
  If you're going to use all those adapters & accessories... you may as well just use a desktop or laptop. Which probably already has all those packages you frequently use, and runs them faster.
  - rahoulb 14y ago
    I guess if I'm going to my parents' or a friend's and I know they've got a keyboard and monitor - I just take my phone instead of my laptop. If I don't know what's available at my destination then I take the extra bag. (although I use a 3G iPad for emergencies - it is an extra bag but only a small one)
  - jlgreco 14y ago
    Who likes traveling with a laptop? As much as a soft-keyboard and connectbot suck, I already commonly use them as a replacement for carrying around a laptop. The convenience of needing a pocket instead of a bag is worth it. (Also, who cares about speed? It's not like you are going to be rendering or building on it, so even the most modest of smartphones today will be more than enough. We no longer need the latest and greatest to be productive.)
scarmig 14y ago

untog 14y ago

Have you ever needed access to an editor, language, database backend, etc. when you happen to be without a laptop? Honestly? No. I can't imagine the agony of trying to type out a SQL query on my phone. I have a Macbook Air, which is light enough for me to carry around with me the vast majority of the time- it's great. If I wanted something smaller I would perhaps get a tablet with a keyboard (or a netbook, if they weren't all terrible)... but doing any meaningful work on my phone? No thanks. I can barely bring myself to type out a reasonably-sized e-mail on mine.

calinet6 14y ago
If a keyboard is important to you, the Droid 4 actually has a great one. Using it with the Terminal android app is a breeze. However, the rest of the phone sucks, so I can't recommend it.
- buu700 14y ago
  Honestly, I prefer my Droid 4 keyboard to the vast majority of laptop keyboards. I can't begin to describe how convenient it is to have an SSH client with a genuinely good keyboard right in my pocket at all times.
  - rve 14y ago
    just try galaxy note ii and u'll throw your Droid 4 away
  - calinet6 14y ago
    Yeah, the MBP keyboard is not really a fair comparison, but I definitely think the little D4 keyboard is far superior to most PC laptop keyboards, especially the compact ones.
- dllthomas 14y ago
  Haven't tried the Droid 4, but the Droid 3 is fine, and the keyboard perfectly serviceable in a pinch.

shmerl 14y ago

I'd rather go for Sailfish.

codex 14y ago

This is the funniest comment I've read in a long time. Kudos, cs702!

denzil_correa 14y ago

> Have you ever needed access to an editor, language, database backend, etc. when you happen to be without a laptop? No problem, Ubuntu Phone will allow you to install and run all these things on your phone. I used to perform most of these tasks on Nokia phone (yes, right!) - N900. Too bad, it didn't pick up on the market. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N900 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N900

dgdg 14y ago
I just wanted to say the same thing.
bxbb 14y ago
> N900. Too bad, it didn't pick up on the market. Wrong pick on the OS name, I guess :P.