Android Ubuntu App

[williamtdr]

Throwing the idea out there: Mark shuttleworth states that Ubuntu is coming to Tvs, phones, tablets, and the like. Our tablets are starting to look more like laptops, and vice versa. Take a look at the Asus Eee Pad Slider and Acer Iconia dual-screen laptop if you don't believe me. If Ubuntu can gain an upper hand on these devices in the beginning, it will be much easier to expand the capabilities of Ubuntu's PC version. So, how feasible is creating an Ubuntu Andrioid app? Android runs on phones and tablets and some netbooks already, and if Ubuntu can get an app in the market that launches a version of Ubuntu for Android, it opens up lots of possibilities. Would anyone be willing to see if we can get an Ubuntu app? I'm looking for feedback, please give me some. It would work like wubi for Android, allowing any user to try out Ubuntu on thier tablet. If they like it, they might decide to try desktop Ubuntu out. Having a fully-featured operating system running on tablets would greatly increase the possibilities these devices have. Having access to all of the apps in the Software Center meant to get useful things done would improve the usefulness of tablets for businesses. And, if we got on featured apps in Android Market, it would be lots of free advertising for Ubuntu. There are already ways to get Ubuntu to run on Android, but they are way too advanced for normal users. We have proven that installing Ubuntu on Android can be done, we just need to make its simpler for the average user.

[haqking]

Throwing the idea out there: Mark shuttleworth states that Ubuntu is coming to Tvs, phones, tablets, and the like. Our tablets are starting to look more like laptops, and vice versa. Take a look at the Asus Eee Pad Slider and Acer Iconia dual-screen laptop if you don't believe me. If Ubuntu can gain an upper hand on these devices in the beginning, it will be much easier to expand the capabilities of Ubuntu's PC version. So, how feasible is creating an Ubuntu Andrioid app? Android runs on phones and tablets and some netbooks already, and if Ubuntu can get an app in the market that launches a version of Ubuntu for Android, it opens up lots of possibilities. Would anyone be willing to see if we can get an Ubuntu app? I'm looking for feedback, please give me some. It would work like wubi for Android, allowing any user to try out Ubuntu on thier tablet. If they like it, they might decide to try desktop Ubuntu out. Having a fully-featured operating system running on tablets would greatly increase the possibilities these devices have. Having access to all of the apps in the Software Center meant to get useful things done would improve the usefulness of tablets for businesses. And, if we got on featured apps in Android Market, it would be lots of free advertising for Ubuntu. There are already ways to get Ubuntu to run on Android, but they are way too advanced for normal users. We have proven that installing Ubuntu on Android can be done, we just need to make its simpler for the average user.

a version of Ubuntu for android ? that makes no sense.

Ubuntu Operating system/Linux Distro based on the Linux kernel

Android is a Operating system/Linux (ish) distro based also around Linux.

They are both operating systems, what is a OS app for an OS exactly ? if you are referring to a virtual instance of it then it can already be done...or am i misreading you ?

[williamtdr]

Yes, I am talking about a virtual instance, like wubi for windows. You tap the app on the apps screen and it opens Ubuntu. That simple. It would increase greatly what you can do with a tablet.

[Paqman]

Yes, I am talking about a virtual instance, like wubi for windows.

Wubi is not a virtual instance. It's just an Ubuntu installer that runs under Windows and can set up the funky loopmounted virtual partition.



You tap the app on the apps screen and it opens Ubuntu. That simple.

Er, not really that simple. If Ubuntu ran well on these tablets we'd all be installing it. Getting anything to run on them except Android would require some serious hackage. Ubuntu for ARM is quite new, and doesn't support a wide range of hardware yet.

[haqking]

Yes, I am talking about a virtual instance, like wubi for windows. You tap the app on the apps screen and it opens Ubuntu. That simple. It would increase greatly what you can do with a tablet.

ok well a virtual instance (chroot) can already be done.

http://androlinux.com/android-ubuntu-development/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-android/

http://nexusonehacks.net/nexus-one-hacks/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-your-android/

[forrestcupp]

ok well a virtual instance (chroot) can already be done.

http://androlinux.com/android-ubuntu-development/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-android/

http://nexusonehacks.net/nexus-one-hacks/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-your-android/

I've never tried it, but I highly doubt if it works well.

[haqking]

I've never tried it, but I highly doubt if it works well.

me neither i just know it had been done.

To be honest a full blown OS on top of Android is never likely to be great, the smartphones dont have the resources to be doing that nor do they need to IMO.

[rg4w]

I agree that running Ubuntu on top of Android makes little sense, but I do believe that running Android inside of Ubuntu makes a lot of sense.

The hundreds of thousands of Android apps could fill a role within Ubuntu similar to OS X' Widgets and Windows' Gadgets. Fun, and useful. And probably no simpler way to add that many apps to the pool that can be run within Ubuntu.

[haqking]

I agree that running Ubuntu on top of Android makes little sense, but I do believe that running Android inside of Ubuntu makes a lot of sense.

The hundreds of thousands of Android apps could fill a role within Ubuntu similar to OS X' Widgets and Windows' Gadgets. Fun, and useful. And probably no simpler way to add that many apps to the pool that can be run within Ubuntu.

You can run android in a virtual machine

[forrestcupp]

You can run android in a virtual machine

But how much can you really do, since a lot of apps are made to take advantage of multi-touch and accelerometers?

I'll admit that Honeycomb and Icecream Sandwich are made to work better with netbooks, but a lot of the apps are still programmed for mobile use. And why shouldn't they be?

Let's face it. Android is for mobile devices and Ubuntu is for the desktop.

[*^kyfds(]

What about completely changing the OS of a device such as an ipod/iphone?

it's been done before with android, so why not UBUNTU?

obviously, it wouldn't be exactly the same as a desktop/laptop version, but i think it wouldn't be that bad :)

maybe it would have the advantage of the user being able to change the appearance dramatically themselves???

[haqking]

But how much can you really do, since a lot of apps are made to take advantage of multi-touch and accelerometers?

I'll admit that Honeycomb and Icecream Sandwich are made to work better with netbooks, but a lot of the apps are still programmed for mobile use. And why shouldn't they be?

Let's face it. Android is for mobile devices and Ubuntu is for the desktop.

I agree totally.

I'm just passing information in response to posts, i had it in a VM to test a while back and it sucks.

If you want to test or Android best to do it on a Android device IMO

[williamtdr]

I think that with a few tweaks Android on Ubuntu could easily take advantage of multitouch gestures. The current process of going through terminal is too easy to mess up the tablet and too advanced for beginner users. Android on Ubuntu would be really cool and give Ubuntu a compatitve edge and bring a lot more power to tablets.

[forrestcupp]

I agree totally.

I'm just passing information in response to posts, i had it in a VM to test a while back and it sucks.

If you want to test or Android best to do it on a Android device IMO

I know. You're a pretty good source for this kind of info.

I realized how useless Android would be on a PC when I started trying to learn ADK. It comes with an Android virtual device for testing, and I wondered right away what good that would do if I wanted to use the accelerometer or multitouch. You really need to test it from a real device.

[grahammechanical]

My understanding of what Mark Shuttleworth is saying is that a large number of people buy computer type devices and they do not care what the OS is. They buy what looks good and works well. And Mark thinks that Canonical can get a part of that market.

The word Ubuntu might be part of the branding of these devices but I am not expecting the device to be running a miniaturized version of Ubuntu desktop any more than I think that Windows for smartphones is somehow a shrunken Windows 7.

There might be a similar look to the UI across the devices but I do not expect them to be exactly the same operating systems. And I also think that they may not be open source either.

I will not mind. Ubuntu for the desktop will be free to download. That pleases me. And if I buy one of these computer type devices I will choose on the basis of quality of design, quality of usefulness and affordable price. More importantly I will be asking: Do I really need it?

Let us see these intended products come to market first.

Regards.