4 ms·

I don't know why anyone would want to use an Ubuntu smartphone, excluding the obvious free software implications. It's guaranteed to be worse than virtually eve

I don't know why anyone would want to use an Ubuntu smartphone, excluding the obvious free software implications. It's guaranteed to be worse than virtually everything else on the market. And why would Canonical even want to get into this business. You're competing against Apple, Google, Microsoft and Blackberry. They cannot win.

mikegioia 13y ago
What a naive, ignorant comment. > I don't know why anyone would want to use an Ubuntu smartphone, excluding the obvious free software implications. So... you do know why. > It's guaranteed to be worse than virtually everything else on the market. This is a personal guess you made. > And why would Canonical even want to get into this business. You're competing against Apple, Google, Microsoft and Blackberry. They cannot win. This is what I don't get from the HN community: you want to have your cake and eat it too. How many comments and posts over the last few weeks have been all about the NSA snooping on your data with these big corps handing everything over? Yet for some reason, you ONLY want Apple/Google/MS/BB to run the phone market! They cannot win if the world was full of people who thought and acted like you, but I'd put my money that it isn't and that organizations like Canonical can (and should) compete against big tech companies.
- charlesray 13y ago
  >So... you do know why. Oh shit, did I accidentally click on Reddit? >How many comments and posts over the last few weeks have been all about the NSA snooping on your data with these big corps handing everything over? I don't know, I haven't written any of those comments. >They cannot win if the world was full of people who thought and acted like you, but I'd put my money that it isn't and that organizations like Canonical can (and should) compete against big tech companies. They can't win if the phone market is in any way based on merit. Canonical's only hope lies in the massive success of a truly awful phone like the Galaxy S series.
jamii 13y ago
1: Wearable computing. We already have laser projectors, laser keyboards, HUDs and optical gesture recognition. 2014 will bring physical gesture recognition (Myo). Unfortunately most phones don't support HDMI or USB out and don't have the battery capacity to support this kind of usage. That leaves you using clunky, low-powered hobbyist hardware. 2: Direct development. When your phone is your computer there is no hassle with remote debugging or simulators. 3: Familiar native environment. All the software I already run on my ubuntu laptop can be run on my phone. I don't have to learn new tools, make multiple versions of my software or manage communication between my phone and laptop. All of these things are sort-of possible already but it's awkward and difficult and you have to make lots of compromises. Having an easily programmable, always-on device in your pocket with the full power of a laptop and access to new emerging interaction hardware - that's going to be something new.
- regularfry 13y ago
  Would have been something new if the N900 hadn't got there already, and then been piloted expertly into the ground by a flailing, incompetent Nokia. Bah, I loved that phone.
  - sirkneeland 13y ago
    Thanks, OPK!

mikegioia 13y ago

What a naive, ignorant comment. > I don't know why anyone would want to use an Ubuntu smartphone, excluding the obvious free software implications. So... you do know why. > It's guaranteed to be worse than virtually everything else on the market. This is a personal guess you made. > And why would Canonical even want to get into this business. You're competing against Apple, Google, Microsoft and Blackberry. They cannot win. This is what I don't get from the HN community: you want to have your cake and eat it too. How many comments and posts over the last few weeks have been all about the NSA snooping on your data with these big corps handing everything over? Yet for some reason, you ONLY want Apple/Google/MS/BB to run the phone market! They cannot win if the world was full of people who thought and acted like you, but I'd put my money that it isn't and that organizations like Canonical can (and should) compete against big tech companies.

charlesray 13y ago
>So... you do know why. Oh shit, did I accidentally click on Reddit? >How many comments and posts over the last few weeks have been all about the NSA snooping on your data with these big corps handing everything over? I don't know, I haven't written any of those comments. >They cannot win if the world was full of people who thought and acted like you, but I'd put my money that it isn't and that organizations like Canonical can (and should) compete against big tech companies. They can't win if the phone market is in any way based on merit. Canonical's only hope lies in the massive success of a truly awful phone like the Galaxy S series.

jamii 13y ago

1: Wearable computing. We already have laser projectors, laser keyboards, HUDs and optical gesture recognition. 2014 will bring physical gesture recognition (Myo). Unfortunately most phones don't support HDMI or USB out and don't have the battery capacity to support this kind of usage. That leaves you using clunky, low-powered hobbyist hardware. 2: Direct development. When your phone is your computer there is no hassle with remote debugging or simulators. 3: Familiar native environment. All the software I already run on my ubuntu laptop can be run on my phone. I don't have to learn new tools, make multiple versions of my software or manage communication between my phone and laptop. All of these things are sort-of possible already but it's awkward and difficult and you have to make lots of compromises. Having an easily programmable, always-on device in your pocket with the full power of a laptop and access to new emerging interaction hardware - that's going to be something new.

regularfry 13y ago
Would have been something new if the N900 hadn't got there already, and then been piloted expertly into the ground by a flailing, incompetent Nokia. Bah, I loved that phone.
- sirkneeland 13y ago
  Thanks, OPK!