I was considering getting a Fairphone in the near future. I was just wondering if there's a way to emulate Ubuntu Touch on a computer so that you can get a feel for it before deciding if it's right for you? I recall trying to use a virtual phone in Ubuntu using some commands from a Wiki article but I think they must've been out of date because I had no luck.

@Flohack But equally, they funded most of the work so far on the operating system... But then of course we get to the whole open source debate, legally speaking there's no issue building on what they've provided.

@mardy I say it "you bee ports" but maybe other people don't. Without knowing its association with Ubuntu, perhaps one would be tempted to say "ubb ports" or "you ba ports" or something.

Maybe bringing the Ubuntu name back into it as much as possible is a good thing since Ubuntu is already well known. It's like getting a headstart on good PR instead of starting from scratch.

@Aurze Yeah actually maybe leveraging the Linux brand rather than the Ubuntu brand would be a good idea. I think Linux has a lot of goodwill associated with it, and hearing "Linux" instantly means "community supported", "open source" and "ethical"... At least it does to me!

Hi,

I'm Alex Noble, I currently volunteer at a PC recycling place and find myself using Linux a lot, especially when it comes to preparing PC's for sale. I have long been interested in an alternative, open mobile operating system, and I feel like the UBports project has some real potential. There's some real enthusiasm surrounding the project currently and lots of exciting developments, and I truly hope it does well. This is why I backed it on Patreon, as it's the only way I'm able to directly help unless you need assistance with testing.

I have an old OnePlus One that I use Ubuntu Phone on, but it's not my daily driver at the minute, I am looking forward to the day when Ubuntu Phone is advanced enough to be a stable, reliable daily driver, and I will support it until then, and long after.

Thanks for working so hard!

I would probably favor creating something brand new, but the Ubuntu name could be leveraged when selling the convergence features of the OS, such as using the phone to drive a PC monitor, keyboard and mouse.

If the name was totally changed, I would imagine the need to move away from the Unity desktop environment for the desktop element.

If the project is eventually a success, would you imagine it would be reinstated as an official Ubuntu project, or would you rather branch out into your own thing due to their lack of faith?

Do we feel close to the Ubuntu community, or abandoned? Do we feel a strong tie to their brand, ethic and development style, or do we want to found something new and unique to maybe inject a bit of excitement into the mobile operating system space?

Or maybe make it so that the OS can be branded by the OEM, like Sailfish is doing?

The reason I support the UBports project is because I believe that the current duopoly of mobile operating systems isn't helpful for anybody. I also think that Google and Apple collect way too much information on their users and aren't open enough about what this data contains and what it's used for.

In order to become a daily driver, Ubuntu Touch would need to be stable, updatable on device, use minimal battery life, and have a stopgap system in place to allow android apps to run if they're absolutely essential. Of course this android app compatibility would only be a temporary measure until the native software selection became more robust.

Perhaps linking into the Amazon app store or F-Droid might be a good plan?

However I'm not a developer so I don't fully understand the complexities of running Android apps on a mobile Linux environment. I would fully expect a lot of fiddling to be required to make an app compatible, and perhaps what would be needed is a seperate, user maintained repository of compatible android apps and installation instructions.