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Canonical Puts Ubuntu On Android Smartphones
nk497 writes "Canonical has revealed Ubuntu running on a smartphone — but the open source developer hasn't squashed the full desktop onto a tiny screen. Instead, the Ubuntu for Android system runs both OSes side by side, picking which to surface depending on the form factor. When a device — in the demo, it was a Motorola Atrix — is being used as a smartphone, it uses Android. When it's docked into a laptop or desktop setup, the full version of Ubuntu is used. Files, apps and other functionality such as voice calls and texting are shared between the two — for example, if a text message is sent to the phone when it's docked, the SMS pops up in Ubuntu, while calls can be received or made from the desktop." ZDnet has pictures; ExtremeTech has a story, too, including some words from Canonical CEO Jane Silber.
Why was there a big push for Unity if you're not going to use it in a small form factor? Why not just stick with a real desktop?
So let me get this straight...
The Unity desktop was arguably intended for tablets and phones... so it's only active when connected to a full-size monitor?
I appreciate the concept of a single computing device for everything, and having that device be tiny... but couldn't somebody other than Canonical do it? Please?
You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
It's the right idea, but Ubuntu on ARM is nowhere near ready. It's crazy buggy, and you're going to miss out on hardware accelerated graphics for the vast majority of applications, because most apps still expect OpenGL, and can't take advantage of OpenGL ES.
The other problem is that devices like the Atrix, while an interesting concept, aren't really ready to host desktop Linux yet. The performance just isn't there yet. I suspect that the next crop of smartphones, with dual core A15s or quad-core A9s, those will probably do a decent job at it.
Disclaimer: my experience with playing around with this is limited to various versions of Ubuntu on a pandaboard, which is a TI OMAP dev board with similar specs to the Atrix.
According to what I read, they're planning on keeping it from the community and only working it in with OEM's on future devices. Where did you go wrong Canonical?
The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
Aw man, and I thought the idea I had for a single computer with multiple display formats for different input and output devices (keyboard/monitor, tablet, phone, digital music player, etc) was totally revolutionary. At least I can claim I thought it up on my own. And certainly, it was far more extensive than what Canonical is doing here, but what they have is the first step in that direction. So far it seems like they're running dual OSes with common data points, but my vision was a single OS that simply determined the appropriate display configuration depending on the user interface device being used, making data universally available without requiring multiple copies that have to be monitored to keep them in sync.
I wonder if this can be made to run in a low-grade "Wondermedia" Chinese tablet? If so, would be a totally nice thing to make the most of the hardware. I'd get it installed like right now.
It's mostly because I get mixed feelings for Android. While it certainly works for little things to do with a phone or tablet, I can't help but feel it lacks stuff to make it productive. It'd be so convenient to have a little bash+sed+awk+etc environment to do little scripts on the road, or a working python terminal**...and the market is convenient, but a lot of the stuff takes me back to the bad aspects of shareware. So I would really want to run Ubuntu on it, and use familiar apps like Pidgin with OTR, a bash scripting environment...etc. And I think Unity in a tablet is a good thing to have, even if just Unity2D.
wouldnt a wireless connection make more sense and have the phone act as the remote?
have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
the open source developer hasn't squashed the full desktop onto a tiny screen
I think that's a given, considering Canonical hasn't squashed a full desktop onto a 30" screen in the past year or so.
I am literally 3000 tokens away from the chaotic crossbow --Stephen
I've been saying that this is where Apple's going for a while. Either the iPhone 5 or the one after it will only have a Thunderbolt port, no other dock connector (the Thunderbolt port can take a USB2 or Firewire to Thunderbolt cable for everyone with old computers/pc's and all.) And I be that after Mountain Lion, about two years from now, iOS and OSX will merge into one OS. The OS will know what hardware it's on and provide an appropriate user interface.
Phones will have all the power and storage most users need for everything they do. All many people will need is their iPhone and docking monitor, and the phone will behave like a phone when it's not docked, and like a computer when it is docked. At that point, yes it will cannibalize their PC sales, but the writing has been on the wall for PC sales since before the PC as we know it was even invented -since 1965 when Gordan Moore formulated his law. It's been inevitable that all the computing power and storage the average user needs will eventually be cheap and tiny, it's just amazing how long we've managed to come up with higher needs for power and storage space. But for the past 10 years usage requirements haven't kept pace with progress. Lower and lower end machines increasingly handle everything most users do. Apple is a smart enough company that they'd rather cannibalize their own sales and be the market leader in something than hold back on selling an inevitable progression for fear of cannibalization, like Kodak.
I wish Ubuntu luck with being first to market here, but I think it's a little early (not quite enough power and memory in this generation phone to be a good desktop), not a complete solution (this doesn't let you run the monitor off the phone and replace the guts of the computer entirely, it just lets you use a desktop interface for the phone when it's docked to a computer), and probably not going to be hugely successful.
Can anyone tell me how to set my sig on Slashdot?
How does it matter? You will be running Ubuntu only when it's docked apparently.
From the website:
Ubuntu for Android requires minimal custom hardware enablement, allowing fast and cost-efficient core integration. It requires a core based on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or any subsequent version.
Ubuntu and Android share the same kernel. When docked, the Ubuntu OS boots and runs concurrently with Android. This allows both mobile and desktop functionality to co-exist in different runtimes.
Shared services and applications are delivered using a Convergence API module which ensures the tight integration between desktop and mobile environments. Work is balanced across the cores of the phone. When the handset is not docked, both CPU cores transfer their full power to Android.
This is simply brilliant! If I can get gcc, vim and python, and I managed to compile (if not just download) some packages I need, I don't think I will need to buy a full fledged desktop. :)
If Microsoft allowed Windows 8 on ARM to have desktop applications this is what could have been.
This sounds very intriguing. I hope something comes of this. I'm not sure I care about this for a phone but for a tablet it would be awesome.
Imagine the Asus Transformer Prime running Ice Cream Sandwich as a tablet, and when docked its a full blown laptop.
So here's what I'm getting from this story. They have Ubuntu as a dual-boot(?) alongside Android and they use the Android drivers to get at the device's functionality from within Ubuntu, without having to write new drivers for each device. This might be a great first step from Canonical to get a foot in the door on smartphones and tablets before going full OEM. Hopefully when they release the source, the community will adapt it to run another distro (Debian with KDE Plasma Active anyone?), although I wouldn't mind Unity on a tablet, much as I hate it on the desktop.
Unfortunately I couldn't tell from the corporate-speak if they're just implementing yet another (albeit official) chroot application. I'd love a full Linux distro on my tablet (like my n900). One can hope.
I've similarly run a Debian chroot on my N900, the only difference in battery life will come from the heavier desktop apps you might be running.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
the Ubuntu for Android system runs both OSes side by side
Nice trick. Anyone knows if this scheme respects battery life?
I strongly suspect this is a mischaracterization of what happens. Since both Android and Ubuntu are based on Linux, there's no need to run two kernels side by side. Most likely, Canonical just added their userspace, which is mostly general GNU/Linux stuff packaged by Debian. It's not the OSes running side by side, but the ordinary processes. When "Ubuntu" apps aren't running, they aren't consuming anything but secondary storage space.
I have both a large screen and a projector, and while hi-def is nice, I grew up with tube TVs watching WKRP and Good Times. I dont NEED a source to be HD to enjoy it. Anything 480p or more is quite adequate for universal viewing. True HD is a merely one point in the spectrum of video, not the ultimate goal of all video. You will bankrupt yourself in the pursuit of perfect picture (apologies to Eisenhower)
Good-bye
Sadly, all GHz are not created equal..
I have had multiple window managers running on a machine before too...
Motorola never claimed to be running a full featured Ubuntu or other Gnu/Linux desktop, but the functionality to do so *was* built into the phone. All of the stuff you need to install packages is there.. You just have to be willing to root the phone so you can break out of the jail.
Hipsters already ruined the Mac .....they aren't welcome on Linux either
Your comment has been modded to oblivion; but within there is a kernel of truth that should be answered. I've loved both the Mac and Ubuntu (quite a bit before 10.04). Both really have changed in spirit; the Mac from a platform for creation (remember they used to bundle what at the time was a top end paint program and word processor with the original system) towards a platform for media consumption. Ubuntu from an easy way to get the full GNU/Linux experience which absolutely tested every usability corner case to death into a strange visionaries test ground.
But.. Let's hold on a sec. There's a fundamental difference which stems from their cultural basis, one in BSD an the other in GNU. With OS X the consumer vision is becoming more and more entrenched and there is no escape. Where you used to just download and install developer tools or get Hypercard for free, now you: sign up for an apple account/sign up for Xcode/agree to a developer agreement/download macports/install the apps/find it's not compatible/have to search for an x server... etc. etc. etc.
With Ubuntu you are still one command and a re-login away from a civilised XFCE desktop. If you download Kubuntu you don't even need to use that one command. Linux Mint is fully available and fully Ubuntu software compatible. You won't get that on Android, let alone your 'WiNokia". Ubuntu have had some bad luck with anti-FOSS and FOSS corrupting people like Matt Assay, but they are still in the fold of people who are pushing forward software where you can do what you want with the end result. As long
If the hipsters are paying for that, there isn't much to complain about. Concentrate instead on companies like Apple and to a large extent Google which produce "Open Core" software where everything is open except the very bit that matters. These guys take your effort and turn it into their user's lock in. Ubuntu is still driving forward free and open code and free and open user experiences. That counts for plenty. The thing is to make sure that Ubuntu is encouraged to stay with Copyleft as much as possible and push back against their use of contributor agreements and unprotected code.
=~ s,(.*),<sarcasm>$1</sarcasm>,g if any_point_you_wish();
The Motorola Atrix was launched last year, and this was supported out of the box. It was the major selling point of the phone
The Atrix was launched with Android, HDMI output and Webtop, which is certainly not a full-featured desktop Operating System. If Motorola said it was running Ubuntu or any other full-featured GNU/Linux desktop OS, they were lying.
And within a few months of its release the fine hackers at xda-developers.com unlocked the webtop to work as a fully-featured desktop operating system. Hence, this is not new. This is simply Canonical claiming credit for re-packaging what's already been done.
OT: Come to think of it, what has Canonical done in Ubuntu Desktop lately besides forcing Unity, adding an installer and a few configuration GUIs that isn't already in Debian? (Note: I do think Ubuntu does a great job of neatly packaging Linux for new users with user-friendly installers and such, but for myself I've been a lot happier since I switched over to Debian Squeeze.)
There's still some of it left which Canonical hasn't managed to ruin?
Win7 *requires* that to run, but that doesn't mean it will run well. Using modern websites and web apps on that sort of machine will be painful. Besides that, Windows counts on there being a certain amount of hardware acceleration for graphics, even if it's just GDI (2D) acceleration. But few smartphone GPUs have 2D components, so there's no accelerated 2D drawing. You end up basically drawing and compositing everything entirely in software, which puts a huge burden on your already underpowered CPU.
A few things are going to improve this going forward:
1) More apps are getting support for OpenGL ES, enabling 3D hardware acceleration. Ubuntu's desktop composition now supports this.
2) Newer mobile GPUs are starting to get 2D GPUs; the OMAP4470 and onwards has one, but the OMAP4430 and OMAP4460 don't. But the 4460 is the newest available at the moment; the 4470 hasn't shipped yet.
3) Mobile CPUs are getting faster fast, tackling this from the other end. The Cortex A15 is a huge improvement clock-for-clock over the A9, and will be clocked at higher speeds to boot.
On top of all of this, many desktop apps are designed with assumptions about the sort of resources they'll have available and run on, and not all of those assumptions are true when you're running on a low-power SoC. For example, RAM. I've got 6 tabs open in Chrome right now, and that's using 768MB of RAM. That's not a problem on my desktop, which as 12GB of RAM, but that kind of memory usage wouldn't fly on a smartphone platform with 512MB of 1024MB of RAM. There are things they could do to mitigate that (cache less things, keep less rendered bitmaps in RAM, etc). A desktop app will probably trade RAM for performance by a different standard than a smartphone app can afford to.