Ubuntu Touch Beats Firefox OS For 'Best of MWC' From CNET

Jono Bacon writes "This week at Mobile World Congress both Firefox OS and Ubuntu have been wooing the audience with their mobile offerings. CNET reviewed both and felt that Ubuntu was 'the clear winner.' From the article, 'The team thought that Ubuntu Touch, the tablet version of which we got our hands-on for the first time at MWC, feels more like the complete package at this point. We liked its slick, elegant interface that makes use of every side of the screen and puts your content and contacts front and center, minimizing the time spent hopping back to a home screen.'" They still liked Firefox OS though, and the mere existence of multiple Free Software mobile systems with carrier support is a good sign if you ask me.

Comments

But but but

[noobermin]

Ubuntu is evil! Richard Stallman says so!!

Re:But but but

[mhall119]

If by "like they are with the desktop" you mean "not at all", then the answer is yes. If you mean something else, then then answer is "you're wrong".

Re:But but but

[exomondo]

I tried the preview build of it on my nexus 7 and while it seemed to work ok - although a LOT of functions didn't work (not implemented yet) and most of it was populated with dummy data - I didn't really see why I would want it.

Re:But but but

[exomondo]

I lost a lot of respect for Stallman when he sunk to the RIAA/MPAA level with statements like 'proprietary software is unethical because it takes away users' rights', of course it doesn't take away anything, just like music piracy doesn't take away profits like the RIAA/MPAA claim, they can't take away something of yours if it's something you never had in the first place. You may not have been granted rights you would otherwise get with free software, but nothing was taken away.

Re:But but but

[fredprado]

But it does. Proprietary software enforces controlled standards, locked systems, treacherous computing like UEFI. It ends taking away the user ability to make choices and to even know what his system is doing. And if you leave it unchecked you won`t have choices because control gives economical power and economical power pushes for more control. UEFI is an example. Soon it will be hard to find computers without it, and soon enough it may be impossible. Little by little we are having our choices eroded by progressively more restrictive hardware with closed specifications, because hardware producers go to bed with big software corporations.

Re:But but but

[exomondo]

Proprietary software enforces controlled standards, locked systems, treacherous computing like UEFI.

Rubbish, if i run a proprietary application on my system i don't end up with a 'locked system', it doesn't enforce any 'controlled standards' and I don't end up with UEFI. I haven't had anything taken away, even if it does aid your agenda to suggest that.

Re:But but but

[fredprado]

You do. You are giving money and consequently power to corporations that are struggling to take our control over the system we buy from them and impose their standards and policies upon us. You are part of the problem. A big part.

Re:But but but

[exomondo]

You are giving money and consequently power to corporations that are struggling to take our control over the system we buy from them and impose their standards and policies upon us.

I'm not giving money to anyone, I said 'proprietary application', i didn't say i paid anybody anything, but i see you need that to justify your new extrapolation of your perceived evil to some other ridiculous scenario. Again, I can run a proprietary program on my system and I haven't had anything taken away from me, that's just rubbish propaganda spread by people like you that have an agenda.

Re:But but but

[rtfa-troll]

You only resort to that low level because you can't disprove my point, pathetic.

He's already given an absolutely clear justification which you have not addressed properly at all. If you have a proprietary program which processes data in any way then it is possible for it to do secret transformations on it or store parts of that data in undocumented formats which cannot be used elsewhere. Any FOSS program comes with the source code which fully documents those transformations and which can be adapted. This means that any proprietary software is a potential threat and should not be trusted without reason.

He takes this a little far. There are certain specific proprietary software groups which make promises such as Google's data liberation front. These companies specifically promise that they will stick to standards and/or allow you to export your data to those standards. As a counter example, try asking Microsoft to provide a support contract including Linux clients for their Exchange servers. This is something that they almost go out of their way to break in some new subtle way with each new release. Google will do this without a problem (their commercial contract guarantee is that whatever works now will work in future versions). However, with the specific exception of companies committed to true open standards (and that doesn't include RAND or ISO standards) the general point stands.

He's even justified clearly why, by using proprietary software you are imposing problems on everyone else. Please look up the "network effect"

Re:But but but

[exomondo]

If you have a proprietary program which processes data in any way then it is possible for it to do secret transformations on it or store parts of that data in undocumented formats which cannot be used elsewhere. Any FOSS program comes with the source code which fully documents those transformations and which can be adapted. This means that any proprietary software is a potential threat and should not be trusted without reason.

That still doesn't take anything away. It's obviously not be ideal but the fact is using it doesn't take anything away. You are right that proprietary software can be used in that way, but not all proprietary software - and that includes services you don't control, particularly web-based - do that.

He's even justified clearly why, by using proprietary software you are imposing problems on everyone else. Please look up the "network effect"

No, my using a proprietary program impacts nobody, unless i'm sharing proprietary formats, which is not the same thing. If i'm transporting jpegs or latex or obj or whatever then it doesn't matter whether i'm using proprietary or free software, the only thing that matters there is the file format. I've used Blender to create models collaborated with guys using Max and Maya with no problems, them using proprietary modeling programs had no effect on my use of Blender.

Re:But but but

[RaceProUK]

Proprietary software is unethical because it infringes on your right to use and modify software as you see fit.

I'm all for open source, but I wouldn't file this as an inalienable right.

Re:But but but

[MightyYar]

as long as there was no copyright at all and all systems were open

How in the world would you open systems without copyleft? Fact is you need copyright to get anything like Gnu's version of open software.

Re:But but but

[Bill_the_Engineer]

Proprietary software enforces controlled standards, locked systems, treacherous computing like UEFI.

Your examples could have easily be done with open source software and if they were implemented well would still give the exact same results. Unless of course you want to argue that security by obscurity is better than security by being open for review.

Fragmentation

[Anonymous Coward]

the mere existence of multiple Free Software mobile systems with carrier support is a good sign if you ask me.

Actually the mere existence of multiple such systems fragments the market for them, thus reducing the already-slim chance they have of becoming real competitors to the established players in the market.

Re:Fragmentation

[Anonymous Coward]

Hello from 1997.

I agree that this 'fragmentation' thing everyone speaks of is not so great for the makers of different operating systems, such as Apple.

But before The Jobs declared it to be Evil Incarnate, we used to call it 'choice.' And choice was good for consumers. I thought. How strange.

Re:Fragmentation

[MBCook]

It's why in 2007, every feature phone could get games, but there were only a handful. They were mostly copies of old arcade games and often cost $3/mo or so. No one developed more ambitious things because of the porting effort and size of the individual markets. A few bigger games would be made (I remember there was a God of War cell phone game), but it would only be on one carrier and maybe 2-3 phones.

We already have 3 platforms (4 if BBOS can survive), plus there are a few other little ones. We have choice and competition.

We don't need 8 or 15 options.

Re:Fragmentation

[wiredlogic]

With luck there will eventually be a push for a standardized tablet platform that is open enough to permit users to select their own OS. Most likely this will come from the second tier Chinese manufacturers who would benefit most from a common reference standard.

Re:Fragmentation

[ozmanjusri]

In 1997?

Proprietary vendors keep spreading this FUD, as "fragmentation" is core to Linux/FOSS adoption. Freedom and opportunity for choice in the Linux world means anyone can start their own distro, or fork an existing one to meet their own needs. To many of us, this is one of the truly great benefits of the open source world.

OS vendors like Microsoft and Apple have a sales/distribution model that's antithetical to this sort of freedom, so it's in their best interest to portray one of Linux's great advantages as a negative. Hence the more than a decade's worth of FUD.

c|net?

[MrEricSir]

Why the hell are still linking to c|net articles again? Would it kill the editors to wait for a real news organization to review Ubuntu Touch instead of just posting the first crap that comes along?

Re:c|net?

[Rogerborg]

Sadly, c|net is what marketeers skim in order to be all hip and jiggy with that nerd stuff, so it is influential.

slick, elegant interface

[Osgeld]

glad is uses every side of the screen, but just like every other mobile device its almost all unused dead space in the middle, glad it takes millions of pixels to put "5 facebook updates" in plain text onto a screen

Re: slick, elegant interface

[drinkypoo]

For all the shit they get for Sense, HTC did the right thing by putting a big fat clock there. I was pretty bemused by the UK ROM I flashed to a used Xperia Play. Front and center, big fat open screen. To the right, gigantic clock, which belongs front and center. I can slide left or right to get to some apps, I want to know what damned time it is!

Just sue CBS

[D H NG]

If Canonical sues or gets sued by CBS, they'll just get disqualified.

but nothing.

[tuppe666]

Ubuntu is evil! Richard Stallman says so!!

No Richard Stallman says this http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/ubuntu-spyware-what-to-do which is about the intrusive nature of an opt-out system on them in which local system search terms are sent to Amazon.

Quit with the hyperbole already. It is what it is.

Re:but nothing.

[recoiledsnake]

From that link:

This is just like the first surveillance practice I learned about in Windows. My late friend Fravia told me that when he searched for a string in the files of his Windows system, it sent a packet to some server, which was detected by his firewall. Given that first example I paid attention and learned about the propensity of "reputable" proprietary software to be malware. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Ubuntu sends the same information.

Does anyone have more information and hard references or proof of this(as opposed to idle hearsay) in Windows, or is it just more of the anti-Microsoft urban legend hearsay FUD peddled around these parts?

WebApp API

[alexandre]

I just hope that Tizen, Ubuntu, FirefoxOS et al. can agree on a common WebApp API...

Re:WebApp API

[gmuslera]

Thats the nice thing about standards, there are so many of them.

I would add Webkit to that list.

And something that the people of Ubuntu should agree on UI components with the people of Sailfish (that was also in that show), and KDE plasma active (and maybe Blackberry and WebOS), making it easier to port apps between different mobile OSs (i.e. like this calculator).

Once you can have everywhere the apps that you want, you are free choose the best OS that fits better in your device/needs.

Re:WebApp API

[soapdog]

At least the people from Mozilla is trying to get their APIs approved by W3C and spread to other vendors. Check out https://wiki.mozilla.org/WebAPI

Cnet? That's a credible source...

[Theoden]

Stopped caring about CNET reviews after their parent company pulled their review of the Dish Hopper because it's a competing product.
Now, I actively avoid their site.

Re:Microsoft has all you information

[ozmanjusri]

From Microsoft:

  "When Microsoft receives a Bing search query, we collect a number of pieces of information, including the search query provided, IP address, unique identifiers contained in cookies, browser configuration and the time and date of the search,"

“Microsoft may access or disclose information about you, including the content of your communications, in order to: (a) comply with the law or respond to lawful requests or legal process; (b) protect the rights or property of Microsoft or our customers, including the enforcement of our agreements or policies governing your use of the software; or (c) act on a good faith belief that such access or disclosure is necessary to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, customers, or the public,”

“Information collected by or sent to Microsoft by Windows 7 may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries, or service providers maintain facilities. Microsoft abides by the safe harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland.”

These are the Windows 7 modules that Microsoft acknowledge phone home

1. Activation:
2. Device Information Retrieval:
3. Device Manager:
4. Dynamic Update:
5. Event Viewer:
6. Gadgets:
7. Games Folder:
8. Error Reporting for Handwriting Recognition:
9. Personalization Training:
10. IME Word Registration (available in Japanese IME only):
11. Installation Improvement Program:
12. Microsoft Error Reporting Service:
13. Plug and Play:
14. Program Compatibility Assistant:
15. Program Properties Compatibility Tab:
16. Rights Management Services (RMS) Client:
17. Teredo Technology: 18. Update Root Certificates:
19. Windows Anytime Upgrade:
20. Windows Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP):
21. Windows Defender:
22. Windows File Association:
23. Windows Help:
25. Windows Speech Recognition:
26. Windows Time Service:
27. Windows Troubleshooting:
28. Windows Internet Explorer 8:
29. Update Services:
30. Microsoft Genuine Advantage:
31. Windows Media Center:
32. Microsoft Windows Media Player 12:

Re:Microsoft has all you information

[recoiledsnake]

RMS is talking about local file search keywords and you're talking about web search keywords on Bing.

Two VERY different beasts.

Here, I bolded it for you:

My late friend Fravia told me that when he searched for a string in the files of his Windows system, it sent a packet to some server, which was detected by his firewall

Re:Microsoft has all you information

[ozmanjusri]

"he searched for a string in the files of his Windows system, it sent a packet to some server, which was detected by his firewall"

"Our telemetry data shows that 67% of all searches in Windows 7 are used to find and launch programs. Searching for files accounts for 22% of all Windows 7 Start menu searches, and searching for Control Panel items about 9%. Searching for email messages via Start Menu is very rare (less than 0.05%). The remaining 2% are searches executing the “Run” functionality."

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/10/18/designing-search-for-the-start-screen.aspx

The Android Killer

[tuppe666]

Actually iOS seems to be the system of choice

http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23946013 these are the latest figures from IDC as you can see Android occupies 70% while iOS occupies 20%. However you try to spin in Android is *THE* smartphone OS of choice, and however you spin it Android binaries will work on more phones that iOS binaries. This is true even if you don't care what OS you run on your phone :), perhaps the phones were simply better designed than Apples, perhaps if Apple spent more money on designing its phones, people wouldn't be buying then 350% more Android Phones.

On topic my point was about compatibility...and increasingly Android compatibility is a must, iOS is simply a niche OS without it.

Re:Microsoft has all you information

[fredprado]

The problem is, considering Windows send information to MS encrypted every time you check for an update, and considering it is a closed source OS you won`t ever know what it is capable of sending and how. MS for example, lets say, under request of a governmental agency, could spy on you and you would never know.

You may think it is paranoid, but it is not, it is simply a matter of not trusting blindly on corporations. They may not even do it now, but the fact they have the power and can do it at will is enough on my book to avoid it like the plague.

If that's the case...

[thoughtlover]

...then why is the story's icon the Firefox logo instead of Ubuntu's? Makes me think Unknown Lamer likes Mozilla Foundation more than Canonical. I do. In the end, the browser really could be the beginning and the end of the interface. Windows linked IE to the filesystem, albeit rather clumsily. I dislike how Apple tries to keep the filesystem of the iPhone (or iAnything) out of the consumer's reach. I keep thinking that the first company that puts a really nice mobile OS on a phone that has a microSD slot will reap many rewards of loyalty from a whole new fanbase. I've been waiting and waiting to escape inane pricing tiers for hardware that has a really meager amount to begin with. Really, you can't get much 1080 video on an iPhone5 with only 16GB (actually 14) of storage.

Re:Microsoft has all you information

[recoiledsnake]

Wait, so it went from "Windows sends your file search keywords" to "it may or might send things"?

Yes, being careful is good, but spreading lies and FUD is not.

As a funny aside, Shuttleworth said they have root on all Ubuntu computers.

Re:Microsoft has all you information

[Nerdfest]

This was not IE. I found the offending executable ... it was SearchFilterHost. I found threads at Microsoft (which seem to have been removed, but it has been quite a while) asking why it was accessing the network.

Re:Microsoft has all you information

[fredprado]

As I said I have no information if it is indeed sending your file search keywords to the net, you will have to ask to the guy who made the claim (RMS is usually a very accessible person if you are really interested).

But the fact they can do it without my knowledge is enough for me. It is too much power to give blindly to a corporation.

Re:Installing Ubuntu Phone OS ..

[exomondo]

It's all on their website.

What a laughable review

[OhANameWhatName]

That looks shocking.

- Swipe in from the side to load a vertical menu which requires further scrolling to use. Why not fill the whole screen?
- Swipe in from the top to load settings, then swipe, swipe, swipe, swipe to find the right setting. Why not fill the whole screen?
- Swipe in from the right side to find the first application, then swipe, swipe, swipe, swipe until you find the application you're looking for. Why not display the open applications as a full screen menu?

And what do we get as an aside? No applications? Fragmentation for mobile phones?

If that's the best mobile operating system available, I hate to think of what the others were like. But at least it's an annoying device I can take a swipe at.

Re:So...

[ozmanjusri]

using your logic Windows is *THE* desktop OS

Was, not is.

Android is becoming the defacto phone/tablet OS because it is open and supports a huge array of form factors and use-cases.

MS Dos/Windows gained early advantage by the same means - it could be installed on a variety of commodity hardware, and be adapted to a almost any computing task. MS later chose to become predatory and restrictive to enforce and protect its monopoly, but they got their start because they were more open than their competition.

Re:Nothing new

[wonkey_monkey]

My cyanogen 10.1 device does all those things. What's the fuss about?

+1 Smug.

Sailfish OS

[SpectreBlofeld]

Not even a mention of Sailfish OS? This is the one I'm most interested in:

http://pocketnow.com/2013/02/27/jolla-sailfish-video

Real X11/GNU/Linux phone with a fresh, elegant UI. Will support all Android apps out of the box with no porting required. Yes, please...

Re:Sailfish OS

[SpectreBlofeld]

The recognition issue could be remedied by partnering with a big name or manufacturer. Nobody's heard of Tizen, either, but say 'Samsung' and and they'll say, 'Oh, right'.

HTC has been struggling with identity issues. They used to lead smartphone manufacturing, now they're becoming just another 'me too' in the increasingly saturated Android/WinMo/iPhone landscape. Hell, they make a Windows phone that's a design ripoff of the N9:

http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=3902

And here's a reason why a company like HTC might want to back someone other than Android:

"Microsoft is demanding that Samsung pay it $15 in royalties for every Android phone it sells, Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper reported on Wednesday. While Samsung is attempting to negotiate the royalty fee lower, it does indicate that Microsoft plans to become more aggressive in pursuing Android manufacturers over use of technologies within Android that it says it has rights to.

The Redmond company is already receiving $5 for every HTC phone sold with the Android operating system, and that has made the company some $150 million, according to reports. With Microsoft asking three times that from Samsung, the potential is there for the company to make much more from this licensing deal."

http://betanews.com/2011/07/06/microsoft-wants-15-for-every-samsung-android-device-sold/

Keep in mind that the article is 2 years old, and HTC's payout to Microsoft is certainly several times $150 million by now.

Now, add the fact that Sailfish can run any Android application out there, but does not have an equivalent to the Play Store yet. HTC could create their own app store and offer both native and Android apps, and actually see a cut of profits added to their device sales instead of money subtracted for licensing fees.

I want to get HTC and Sailfish in a room together and tell them to kiss. And make me a device.