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@pulsar33
The real answer is : "we do not know"
But sure it starts on the wrong foot for the BQ family. -
@pulsar33 said in will ubuntu touch ever be upgraded past ubuntu 16.10:
but it's a dead end for the BQ E5
Considering it's old slow SoC and low RAM amount and age of most batteries by now I can't really blame the developers for deciding to do so!
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The update planned for 20.04 is described as a 'line in the sand' for Ubuntu Touch Edition phones in when you look at the webpage for all devices rather than simply the promoted devices.
I'll copy the paragraph I need help to understand:
Ubuntu Touch Edition*(Support will drop at 20.04 upgrade)*If you have one of the older devices, they are solid for now. Many in our community use them but technical difficulties in updating and closed source elements which we can’t access mean that those devices are not a good choice for anyone just starting with UT. They are also getting aged now and experience hardware faults.
The general language used above to know if a given device will be impacted by this transition. Will there be an announcement indicating which phones will be involved as the 20.04 update approaches? Are the promoted devices free from this concern despite their age?
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@rvan said in will ubuntu touch ever be upgraded past ubuntu 16.10:
Are the promoted devices free from this concern despite their age?
No, you cannot count on that. I think the designation 'promoted' is outdated, and should be mostly ignored.
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@rvan said in will ubuntu touch ever be upgraded past ubuntu 16.10:
Will there be an announcement indicating which phones will be involved as the 20.04 update approaches?
Yes, things will be clarified.
From what I can foresee, the list of devices tested and supported on 20.04 will be announced.
Maintainers interested to keep an older device up-to-date can contact the core team from the foundation and get involve in 20.04 development so there is no discontinuity for their device.
But after facts one can still decide to help and bring back an old device to 20.04.When released the core team will give the community more details on what difficulties to expect when attempting to port a device to 20.04 so one will have the better chance of success.
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@AppLee - Thank you for qualifying this issue for me. I do not mind needing to purchase another phone but I would hope I have the opportunity to do so before my current devices lose support. One of these is currently listed as 'inactive' so I want to refrain from residing in this category if possible.
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@rvan
Inactive means that the maintainer is not active anymore on the port.
They won't fix device specific bug nor add features.Your current device won't stop working when 20.04 is released.
It just won't be able to upgrade and some app won't get updates if incompatible with previous version.
Bascically you'll loose any update capability, so no bug fix, no security patch, ...So it is recommended to upgrade if possible to keep having support.
But service will not stop abruptly one day. -
@rvan said in will ubuntu touch ever be upgraded past ubuntu 16.10:
One of these is currently listed as 'inactive' so I want to refrain from residing in this category if possible.
In addition to what @AppLee wrote, another thing to keep in mind is that most device maintainers are volunteers and might stop contributing all of a sudden (for example, if they break or sell their device) or, on the contrary, a new maintainer might pick up an abandoned port. So, unless you pick a device officially supported by the Foundation, the situation will always be volatile.
In general, if you have a device in your hands that is no longer supported, one option is to find a volunteer and buy them a used device to work on
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@AppLee, @mardy - Okay. Truth be told I am very interested in volunteering myself. I like writing software and UBports is really doing some excellent work. The currently difficulty I need to solve is employment and then evaluate the pressures this brings with my ability to do volunteer work in addition to all the other adult responsibilities life brings. I need a Belgian ale...
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@applee said in will ubuntu touch ever be upgraded past ubuntu 16.10:
But service will not stop abruptly one day.
That's good to know because it gives me some time to find an alternative phone or OS when my phone loses support.
