most wanted core apps to run ubuntu as daily phone OS

[flohack]

@WLBI Hello,

I do not think that your Apps are "core apps" - except Alarm, which is included in the Clock app already, and it works quite well I would say. And maybe a password manager.

Twitter, DB and clever-tanken are just normal Apps, and someone may or may not develop them (if you ignore tha fact that the twitter web-app is quite functional already)

The more we put into core apps the heavier this image will be, and it will become hard to maintain. I like to have less core apps, but they are well designed, bug free and generic for everyone on the planet

[NeoTheThird]

I'm with @Flohack on this one. We should only have the real essentials as core apps preinstalled. In my opinion these are:

• Terminal
• Phone
• SMS
• Clock (with timer, alarm, etc)
• Camera and Gallery
• Weather
• Address-book (with carddav support)
• Calendar (with caldav support)
• Files (with Nextcloud integration, Document viewer and plain-text editor)
• Webbrowser
• E-Mail client
• Music (with the option to play from files, 7 Digital drm free store)
• Openstore (for downloading everything else)

@WLBI It's not set in stone how soon this will be available, but we will support Anbox (Native Andorid app compatibility), so you will be able to run DB Navigator and clever-tanken if you can get your hands on the apks. Anbox already works(-ish) on Ubuntu Touch and it might even (as soon as it's stable, but not in our first release) be pre-installed.

[WLBI]

@NeoTheThird @Flohack
Yes you guys are right.
I think, probably Anbox should be a Core App, so we can use all Android apps by default. Then the main reason, not using Ubuntu Touch "No Apps are available" will be eliminated.
In my German YouTube channel about Linux, I got so many comments, that Ubuntu Touch is not good, because of the missing apps.
The reason how people judge an operating-system being good or bad, is the amount of available software and not the operating-system by it self.
For example, Linux on the desktop is bad, because Adobe Photoshop is not available.
Ubuntu Touch is bad, because WhatsApp is not available.
So the reasons don't come with the operating-system, it's just about the available software.

[Bastos]

@WLBI said in most wanted core apps to run ubuntu as daily phone OS:

Anbox

+1

[antanicus]

@WLBI Android compatibility is a shortsighted idea: the positive impact on adoption (if any... just look at Sailfish OS) will deplete rapidly while the "Android clone" aftertaste will last forever. Let's not forget OS/2's terrible "me too" death.

[flohack]

@WLBI Yes basically you are right but: Just bringing in Android apps makes us not much better than current Android. In fact, those apps will be a little slower, and some of them might not work, because we might not be able to bring in all APIs. You also are then again bound to the race of updating everything in the same tempo as Google.

This is the hardest part, but I personally do not think that Android compatibility should be a priority. Its nice to have Anbox, but it will not save us form developing a good unique selling proposition.

From the telegram group, M K wrote:

Actually that would be the last nail in the coffin for Ubuntu. Never, ever develop compatibility if you are the underdog.

I agree on that. The killer feature is Convergence and having all Linux desktop Apps also running on the phone with only minor adaptions necessary. Everything else is old news for consumers.

[Mitu]

I also think that Android apps compatibility should not be the priority. Did it attract people to Sailfish for example? I don't think so.

And again: if I can have an Android app on Ubuntu phone, then I won't need the native app. And that's why the Ubuntu app ecosystem will not grow that fast with Android compatibility.

Actually that would be the last nail in the coffin for Ubuntu. Never, ever develop compatibility if you are the underdog.

Exactly.

[WLBI]

@Flohack
Sure, being able to run Android doesn't make the system a better system. But it helps a lot, to make it more open for the mainstream.
Yes the killer feature is convergence, which still doesn't fully work after how many years.
I really love that feature, to run any kind of GNU Linux software on the mobile device and connect it to external display + mouse + keyboard and having a full PC.
But Ubuntu is not the only one having that convergence idea. Also Windows and Android trying to go that way and they failed so far.
In my opinion, the Unity idea among them is the best, when it comes to convergence.

I suspect that one of the main reasons why Ubuntu is not as successful as Android, Apple and Windows is advertising.
Windows is not the best operating system, but it's the one with the most aggresive advertising and has therefore conquered the market and eliminated the others, like os / 2, which was that time much better than Windows.

Never underestimate the power of advertising, even if you have the better system.

[Bastos]

@Flohack said in most wanted core apps to run ubuntu as daily phone OS:

Actually that would be the last nail in the coffin for Ubuntu. Never, ever develop compatibility if you are the underdog.

This is really an interesting point of view. Let us discuss this in a seperate thread

[CiberSheep]

I cannot live without:

• Calendar
• Clock
• uNav
• Music
• Telegram
• Dekko (should be core app)
• Notes (with nextCloud sync). So, for now I use turtl
• Camera
• Doc viewer
• Podbird (should be core app)
• Oxide

So, I think they¡re all?

[Bastos]

@CiberSheep said in most wanted core apps to run ubuntu as daily phone OS:

Oxide

What is this?

[UKPhil]

I am new here, but I hope to have a bit of an input. I brought three M10 tablets for my family and I use mine every day. I also purchased a Touch phone, but shortly went back to my android phone. For me, having the same apps as Andriod or IOS has is not a priority (as I never know what all of them do anyway). The main thing I feel (and what my Ubuntu Touch tablet gives me) is the core ones. I would consider the core list of apps to be:

• Calendar (that can talk to more than just one online calendar - Google)
• Clock (with alarm, stop watch and international time zones)
• Phone
• Text messaging – SMS
• Web browser
• Contacts (that can talk to more than just one online address book - Google)
• Internet messaging (not necessary Telegram)
• Multi email client – possibly Dekko (this does need a great deal of work to bring it up to speed though)
• Camera (with all the basic functionality)
• Gallery
• Doc viewer

I know that a lot of time has been given to Telegram and as a messaging app, it is good. However, the issue that I found was that it was OK being on Telegram, but when most of the people I know were on Whatsapp, it was useless. Breaking the Whatsapp mind set is the main issue.

Also with the core apps, they need to be so polished that they are bullet proof. I use the web browser on my tablet and put up with all its issue as I love Ubuntu. However, most people will walk away and go and use something that just works. Being the underdog, you need to have a product that can at least keep you moving forward toward the guys at the front.

[Aury88]

@Phil-UK about whatsapp support why not try LoquiIM?

imho there is already a good initial range of (proprietary) services support on UT but they are hard to find or not integrated in the smartphone.

[wgarcia]

@Bastos Oxide = the web browser

[wgarcia]

As core apps, I agree with most of the ones suggested, plus:

• The terminal

[UKPhil]

@Aury88, thanks for that, I was not aware of it. I will for sure have a look at it today and see how I get on. i do like the idea of one app for all chat though.

I also agree that a terminal may also be a good idea as a core app.

[flohack]

@Phil-UK The thing with WhatsApp is that they are not open source and I dont like a reverse- engineered version of some App to fail intermittently when it is a core App. So support for WhatsApp is currently not on the horizon

[Aury88]

@Flohack I 1000% agree with you. UT should have only opensource app and/or be based only on open source services by default....
neither Android is based on proprietary services/app by default (excluding google services obviously).
About the proprietary services/app the thing that we really need is a way to find easily them (for example why many user don't know about LoquiIM? it is probably hard to find)

Imho by default we need only the very basic things also for convenience reasons: the OS with the DE-GUI, with the hardware exposition to the user space and the ability to integrate the apps with the system(ie I install an app "clock-x" and "mail-y" and I want them be able to put an applet on the toppanel), the phone calls, the sms app, and a way to install anything else.

[Donhammer]

Proposal: list the default apps in current version and maybe indicate which you find easy/hard to maintain. my own reason for this phone is convergence. second, i like to think, it is more safe and less surveilled.

[flohack]

I forgot an import ant thing: Backup subsystem + GUI + Scheduler to make real 100% backups possible. I think we should work on this before any App renovating, as currently all our data is exposed to full loss in case the phone breaks