First of all, I must say that I love Ubuntu on my desktop, being my main and only desktop OS, however I think Shuttleworth is deluding himself ...
So, I'm having problems seeing Ubuntu compete with Android. He claims that Android is too fragmented, but regular users aren't complaining about fragmentation, mobile makers and careers aren't complaining about it either. How can they, when they are responsible for it? If anything, the only reason they'd like an alternative is precisely because Google is imposing their will on them. The only people complaining and caring about fragmentation are the developers. And for good reason, fragmentation is a serious problem, however this hasn't stopped Android from dominating the landscape. And Google, with all of their muscles, still hasn't solved it and it isn't for a lack of trying - I'm really curious about how Canonical plans to solve it, because I'm not seeing it as being something solvable, at least not by Canonical.
If fragmentation + being an alternative are Ubuntu's sole raison d'être on mobile, then it has no way to win anything. And also ...
> [Shuttleworth] says that Firefox OS has the weakness that "everything it does is in the browser, and that isn't necessarily going to be recognised by websites as a mobile browser - so you get the desktop site on your mobile screen. Ubuntu uses a WebKit-based browser [like Apple's MobileSafari and Google Chrome] so you get the mobile one."
I've been using Firefox on my Android(s) for about 1 year. I think it is the best mobile browser right now and I never noticed the above problem.
I'm not saying that it doesn't happen sometimes (maybe it does), however the mobile web landscape is in a funny state right now. Companies and individuals that care about the mobile web (e.g. Twitter, Google) do realize that WebKit is not the only game in town. Companies that don't are those that provide a miserable web experience, so I end up requesting the desktop version anyway.
Plus, Google forked WebKit and Internet Explorer 11 is presenting itself as WebKit although it isn't. I've also spotted plenty of differences between desktop Safari, iOS Safari, Chrome and Android's stock browser, while working with HTML5. Also Google advises tablet makers to differentiate tablets from phones by identifying the browser as "Safari" versus "Mobile Safari". Add to that the dozens and dozens of different Androids on the markets, some of which respect these guidelines, some of which don't, with their slow upgrade cycle and by relying on "WebKit" (whatever that means) you've got yourself a recipe for mediocrity.
On Firefox OS, I think it is in a much better position to cater to those 25% of users that Shuttleworth is targeting, as Firefox OS does bring something new to the table - (a) it is created to run on low end phones from the get-go, (b) it is a platform based on open web standards designed to be extremely developer friendly and for breeding new web standards and (c) the web browser is the ultimate sandbox.
If Firefox OS wins 3% of the market, everybody wins. If Ubuntu wins 3% of the market, nobody will notice anything.
So, I'm having problems seeing Ubuntu compete with Android. He claims that Android is too fragmented, but regular users aren't complaining about fragmentation, mobile makers and careers aren't complaining about it either. How can they, when they are responsible for it? If anything, the only reason they'd like an alternative is precisely because Google is imposing their will on them. The only people complaining and caring about fragmentation are the developers. And for good reason, fragmentation is a serious problem, however this hasn't stopped Android from dominating the landscape. And Google, with all of their muscles, still hasn't solved it and it isn't for a lack of trying - I'm really curious about how Canonical plans to solve it, because I'm not seeing it as being something solvable, at least not by Canonical.
If fragmentation + being an alternative are Ubuntu's sole raison d'être on mobile, then it has no way to win anything. And also ...
> [Shuttleworth] says that Firefox OS has the weakness that "everything it does is in the browser, and that isn't necessarily going to be recognised by websites as a mobile browser - so you get the desktop site on your mobile screen. Ubuntu uses a WebKit-based browser [like Apple's MobileSafari and Google Chrome] so you get the mobile one."
I've been using Firefox on my Android(s) for about 1 year. I think it is the best mobile browser right now and I never noticed the above problem.
I'm not saying that it doesn't happen sometimes (maybe it does), however the mobile web landscape is in a funny state right now. Companies and individuals that care about the mobile web (e.g. Twitter, Google) do realize that WebKit is not the only game in town. Companies that don't are those that provide a miserable web experience, so I end up requesting the desktop version anyway.
Plus, Google forked WebKit and Internet Explorer 11 is presenting itself as WebKit although it isn't. I've also spotted plenty of differences between desktop Safari, iOS Safari, Chrome and Android's stock browser, while working with HTML5. Also Google advises tablet makers to differentiate tablets from phones by identifying the browser as "Safari" versus "Mobile Safari". Add to that the dozens and dozens of different Androids on the markets, some of which respect these guidelines, some of which don't, with their slow upgrade cycle and by relying on "WebKit" (whatever that means) you've got yourself a recipe for mediocrity.
On Firefox OS, I think it is in a much better position to cater to those 25% of users that Shuttleworth is targeting, as Firefox OS does bring something new to the table - (a) it is created to run on low end phones from the get-go, (b) it is a platform based on open web standards designed to be extremely developer friendly and for breeding new web standards and (c) the web browser is the ultimate sandbox.
If Firefox OS wins 3% of the market, everybody wins. If Ubuntu wins 3% of the market, nobody will notice anything.