@cibersheep thanks, and thanks for the clarity. I'll take a look at the links.

Hi, new ubports user here. I just ran ubports-installer on kubuntu 20.04.0 to put Ubuntu Touch on my Nexus 5. It went smoothly and ran beautifully. I also restored Android m4b30z-factory-625c027b image to be sure I could switch at will. Now, I have some questions. Is UBports just an Ubuntu Touch installer for mobile devices such as my Nexus 5, or does it install pieces of itself into the mix? Another question is, is whatever gets installed on the phone a variant/derivative of Android, or is it other? If it is a heavily modified version of Android, does this mean it isn't phoning home to google or some other corporate interest? I looked for answers to these questions before posting them here, but couldn't really find clear answers. You help is appreciated.