[nbktonic]

What does this mean for WP8 now?

After Teasing Its Touch-Friendly Future, Canonical Officially Reveals The Ubuntu Phone OS | TechCrunch

[cameradork]

It means that soon you'll have to write your own drivers so your OS works on your device. More time will be spent troubleshooting the OS than actually using it. Sounds fun to me!

[cashcar1979]

Means nothing..its a niche OS at best with extremely limited compatibility

[tiziano27]

Looks really good, if it's adopted by manufacturers and carriers could make some damage especially to android, this can be installed in current android phones.

[dreester]

What I find funny is that Ubuntu for smartphones looks more like Windows 8 than WP8 does. All those edge swipes to switch between apps or to view all open apps should've been implemented in WP8. Add in another swipe from the top to close an app and you're golden.

[Simon Tupper]

It means another Linux based OS prone to viruses...

[Simon Tupper]

Linux or how to steal ideas and call it new! Apple 2.0?

[JamesDax3]

First devices not due until 2014. Doesn't mean a damn thing to Windows Phone.

smdh

[IE sucks less]

I'm not even scared... the only time Linux was successful was when it was not called Linux... (Android) People will see Ubuntu and will be like "What the **** is that? It's an Android rip off!" I don't see much success for another Linux OS

[bb10_fan]

Means nothing..its a niche OS at best with extremely limited compatibility

Compatibility with what? Microsoft tools/services?

[bb10_fan]

What I find funny is that Ubuntu for smartphones looks more like Windows 8 than WP8 does. All those edge swipes to switch between apps or to view all open apps should've been implemented in WP8. Add in another swipe from the top to close an app and you're golden.

Yep, just copy WebOS/MeeGo and you'll be fine :D

[bb10_fan]

It means another Linux based OS prone to viruses...

Huh ? The most funny comment I've seen on Windows Phone thread

[12Danny123]

I still have no idea. Why there is a bb10 fan here. Awkward Dude.

[bbqrooster]

because there's no retail BB10 phone to talk about it now.

[bb10_fan]

because there's no retail BB10 phone to talk about it now.

You nailed it!

[brmiller1976]

From reading the reviews, it appears to be a laggy icon-centric OS, and crashed a couple of times during the review. In other words, Android but without the apps and Google spyware. Doesn't seem to set the world on fire...

[kerryprsp]

I'm not an analyst but I don't see this becoming one of the big players in the smartphone market or a legitimate threat to Windows Phone. Who knows what the market will be like by the time Ubuntu is ready to ship.

[brmiller1976]

The only thing that matters:

Windows Phone 8: Available today from $0 (on two year contract)
Ubuntu: Not yet available, no firm ship date, no pricing

[Laura Knotek]

Another big issue will be apps, especially games.

Many folks who like desktop Linux were never able to adopt it exclusively, due to the lack of games. Desktop Linux has finally gotten Steam as a beta.

Gaming on a Linux phone will problem be even more lacking than gaming on desktop Linux.

[brmiller1976]

When I experimented with Ubuntu years ago, I installed a Wine environment that almost kinda sorta ran older DirectX games.

[Laura Knotek]

When I experimented with Ubuntu years ago, I installed a Wine environment that almost kinda sorta ran older DirectX games.

I've also installed Wine in Ubuntu, openSUSE and Mint.

I doubt if that option will work with the new, popular games on a mobile device.

[socialcarpet]

What does this mean for WP8 now?

After Teasing Its Touch-Friendly Future, Canonical Officially Reveals The Ubuntu Phone OS | TechCrunch

I don't think it will be a threat to Windows Phone or anything else. As was said, its going to be a niche product. Much like Sailfish, the reborn Meego OS, it's a niche product without much of a niche. Few are going to want a phone OS with virtually no support from the outside world and few mainstream apps to choose from. Windows Phone has a hard time as it is gaining new users and it's hardly a niche product.

That said, I am a fan of Ubuntu and I like the idea of a real Linux phone running native apps instead of a Linux offshoot running Java apps through a virtual machine (Android) which I've always seen as an imperfect solution.

I also think the Ubuntu phone OS shows some real ingenuity in the UI design, so does Sailfish. Even though I don't think either of them is going to catch on, I think Microsoft should be paying close attention.

One of the biggest reasons I love Windows Phone is because Microsoft did a very un-Microsoft thing with it. They decided to color outside the lines, to abandon the traditional grid of icons motif and conventional UI design. They began from the ground up and designed the first smartphone OS that is truly user-centric instead of an app-centric. I think the significance of that can't be overstated, in fact I think most of the time people who just review Windows Phone or don't use it, miss that subtle, but key attribute that makes Windows Phone truly different. It doesn't just look different, it WORKS different and that makes it more pleasing to use in many ways than the typical smartphone which just feels like a launcher for a bunch of disparate apps. Canonical clearly saw the brilliance of that concept because they are applying it in their own way to the Ubuntu phone OS.

The reason I think Microsoft should be paying close attention to Ubuntu and Sailfish is because that is the real future of the smartphone. Something that is greater than the some of its parts. Whereas iOS and Android are the past of the smartphone. My hope is that Microsoft will continue to be brave enough to keep thinking outside the box. I'd hate to see Windows Phone just stay where it is, making only incremental improvements to the original concept.

Stick to the elegant simplicity idea, but don't be afraid to add capabilities for more advanced users and don't be afraid to keep pushing the envelope with the way the UI functions. In particular think the gestures idea and the way in which multitasking works in the Ubuntu phone and Blackberry 10 are things Microsoft should seriously consider in designing the next major revision of Windows Phone. I think that differentiation, smart differentiation through better design, not just merely looking different, is the key to Windows Phone's future growth.

[AngryNil]

Who is going to buy this over Android, and why?

[socialcarpet]

Who is going to buy this over Android, and why?

True Linux enthusiasts who appreciate a real Linux device that runs native apps rather than a dirty little Linux offshoot that stumbles through Java apps in a virtual machine and doesn't contribute to the Linux kernel.

People who don't care for iOS, Android or Windows Phone and want something different with an attractive and sophisticated UI and aren't afraid to jump into a platform that has an uncertain future and probably won't have many of the most popular apps.

Android users who switch ROMS 5 times a day and others who never settle on one OS and like to experiment with everything.

[brmiller1976]

Ubuntu Mobile poses a real threat... to Open webOS. It targets the same hackerish demographic who wants to flash something better than that gawd-awful Android onto a cheap Nexus handset.