Ubuntu, one of the most popular flavors of Linux, is all set for the release of a touch-based version. Or so the homepage hints with a teasing "So close, you can almost touch it" tagline and a countdown timer to 11:30 pm IST, 2nd January.
Both Ubuntu and Android are based on the Linux-kernel, but running Ubuntu on a touch-based device, mainly a large-screen tablet, will be hugely welcome by proponents of open source technologies and lovers of Linux. [Android is open-sourced and Linux-based too, but the developer community is not mature enough, and is mostly concentrated towards app development. Also, Google plays an authoritative role in releasing updates to Android, and Ubuntu shall be far more customizable.]
Most other popular Operating Systems, namely the iOS and the Android let you have a uniform experience across your mobile devices, the smartphone and the tablet, [though I wonder why is the laptop not counted in your mobile device], but a touch-based Ubuntu may mean a uniform experience across all your computers. A touch-based Ubuntu running on a tablet PC may also bring in convergence between desktops/laptops and tablets/phones. Microsoft is attempting that with its latest version of Windows (8), but the beauty of open-source misses, even though the UI and the UX are charming.
Canonical had launched Unbuntu for Android in Feb last year, though as I had noted then you'd need a docking station with capability and hardware support for HDMI and USB to leverage the full power of Ubuntu on your Android phone. Or of your phone on Ubuntu. Whichever way, it was a novel idea, but did not garner much traction because of the extra effort and cost for a high-end docking station.
The new announcement looks much more promising, but we have to wait a day and a few more hours to get to know the mystery behind the countdown. Anyway it is so close you can almost touch it.
Both Ubuntu and Android are based on the Linux-kernel, but running Ubuntu on a touch-based device, mainly a large-screen tablet, will be hugely welcome by proponents of open source technologies and lovers of Linux. [Android is open-sourced and Linux-based too, but the developer community is not mature enough, and is mostly concentrated towards app development. Also, Google plays an authoritative role in releasing updates to Android, and Ubuntu shall be far more customizable.]
Most other popular Operating Systems, namely the iOS and the Android let you have a uniform experience across your mobile devices, the smartphone and the tablet, [though I wonder why is the laptop not counted in your mobile device], but a touch-based Ubuntu may mean a uniform experience across all your computers. A touch-based Ubuntu running on a tablet PC may also bring in convergence between desktops/laptops and tablets/phones. Microsoft is attempting that with its latest version of Windows (8), but the beauty of open-source misses, even though the UI and the UX are charming.
Canonical had launched Unbuntu for Android in Feb last year, though as I had noted then you'd need a docking station with capability and hardware support for HDMI and USB to leverage the full power of Ubuntu on your Android phone. Or of your phone on Ubuntu. Whichever way, it was a novel idea, but did not garner much traction because of the extra effort and cost for a high-end docking station.
The new announcement looks much more promising, but we have to wait a day and a few more hours to get to know the mystery behind the countdown. Anyway it is so close you can almost touch it.
