Canonical Designer Demos Ubuntu Context-Aware UI

Blacklaw writes "Canonical's Christian Giordano has posted details of what he believes could be the future of user interface design in Ubuntu — a system that detects physical context. Designed to be paired with a webcam or other sensor system, the concept is that the computer is able to detect where a user is in proximity to the display along with an idea of roughly what he or she might be doing. Using this information, the operating system — in this case, Ubuntu Linux — can automatically make changes to the screen layout. For example, when the system detects that the user has leaned back in his or her chair, the system automatically makes the currently playing video full-screen. Lean forward again, and the video returns to its previous windowed mode."

Comments

Not an OS

[houghi]

Ubuntu Linux is NOT an OS. It is a Distribution. Linux (or even GNU/Linux) is an OS. Ubuntu is a (GNOME Based) distribution.

Re:Great idea!

[hairyfeet]

Wow, way to miss the point! Yet again after touting over and over Linux is a "drop in replacement for Windows" you instead suggest throwing out perfectly working hardware in order to buy a much more expensive brand so it will work with Mac...err I mean Linux.

And this, this right here folks, is the problem. I can send my customers into any B&M and they have a 100% chance of getting hardware that works in windows. Yet if I were to send those same customers into any B&M the odds aren't even 50/50 that they will get something that isn't a paperweight. Now you can blame the manufacturers, although considering Linux is less than 2% most simply can't afford to support you due to the fact that a driver that will work with Ubuntu 8 may not work with Ubuntu 9 thanks to the kernel and everything else constantly changing, or like I have seen you can blame the user, your customer, by claiming it is up to them to do "research" which apparently means scouring badly designed forums trying to find a person that actually has the hardware they want to buy, which means TWO trips to the store...one to write down models, the other to buy if you are lucky enough to find something on the forum that is actually in stock.

The sad part is Linux could be a contender, all it needs is a Steve Jobs or Larry Ellison to come in there and demand that usability be made job #1. I had hope Mark Shuttleworth would take that role, but sadly he seems to be happy doing crap like the above, meanwhile simply walking into a Walmart and coming out with a Linux capable device without studying like its the fricking ACTs is a complete and total crapshoot. But pretending that "If they only buy product A" is simply magical thinking that changes nothing. can you guarantee that product a will continue to work after three or four of those 6 month upgrades? Can my customer walk into any Walmart or Staples and buy without having to study their butts off? Nope and nope.

So demand that Linus quit changing the damned kernel every time you turn around, focus instead on rock solid stability across upgrades and a goal of "100% or bust!" for the devices carried in your big box retailers (BTW can you tell which laptops they stock will work with Linux just by looking? Me neither.) and you will gain marketshare, hell you might even pass Macs. Stay on the road you're on and 5 years from now Linux desktop adoption will still be below the margin for error. Its been 15 years folks, when you can't make major inroads with a free product after 15 years you really need to look at the path you are taking and what you can do to change it.