Posts made by gnu-mobile

Could somebody update an M10 tablet to 16.04 using one of the update channels?

@advocatux Just tried again switching to devel, stable and back to rc, all the time it said the software is up to date (showing Ubuntu touch Version 3, 15 and 61).

Maybe the reason there is no automatic update shown is the following error. Is this something one needs to fix locally?

~# system-image-cli -vvvv --switch ubports-touch/16.04/rc
...
[systemimage] ... uncaught exception in state machine
...
AssertionError: Missing destination files: ['/var/lib/system-image/keyring.tar.xz', '/var/lib/system-image/keyring.tar.xz.asc']
local_paths: [dbus.String('/tmp/blacklist.tar.xz'), dbus.String('/tmp/blacklist.tar.xz.asc')]
Exception occurred during update; see log file for details

Same thing happens with other channels, only for devel this happens for the file name channels.json.

@advocatux said in Automatic upgrade to OTA-4:

https://github.com/ubports/ubuntu-touch/issues/877

Can somebody confirm that updates are available with the issue closed?

I think everybody understands work need to be done, with limited resources and it takes time, especially in projects like ubports. Just no need to use professional diverting talk with its typical reputation.

https://ubports.com/de_DE/blog/ubports-blog-1/post/ubuntu-touch-ota-4-release-166 :

If you are running Ubuntu Touch from the 15.04/devel or 15.04/RC channel, you will get an update to a 16.04-based image when you select 'updates' on your device at any time from the 3rd of September onward.

The problem with this information is, unfortunately, that nobody is getting an update and we're at a time after september 3rd. It might thus really have been better to say "sometime after september 3rd" (and maybe adding "before october 5th").

Well, next time, no problem.

Seems like there was a delay or a communication error in the announcement, hopefully the RC and DEVEL branches get updated some time after september 3rd.

Hopefully there were no roadblocks, since the branches should be usefull for the work on OTA-5.

I'd also say the current design of the app switcher, showing slightly angled screenshots of the apps, makes it easier to distinguish the apps.

I think it's not that easy to measure or calculate the improvements in snappiness and ease of use, compared to a practical test.

So here it is:

The only comparable action at the moment is the right edge "flip-to-latest-app". One could try out this flipping for a while, and then imagine you could flip apps left and right, and flip "home" in and out from the upper edge, with exactly the same speed!

Sorry, I had to improve my last sentence. Hopefully, it's better understandable now.

Sure, "home" stands for whatever will get used or configured in the future.

As stated above the current "long-drag from left" gesture to get "home" is slow and is not equally good for both hands. It even unnecessarily often needs a movement of the complete hand on tablets, not easily done by only moving a finger that is holding the device. Please re-read above posts and think about the different mentioned aspects brought to the discussion that can be improved together, by optimizing the edge gesture assignments. To use your own words, put yourself in the shoes to compare the things like symmetry and the ease of explaining the usage.

What do you think is so relevant about it --for optimizing edge gesture assignments-- to point out that touch gestures are useless without touchscreens, and that trackpad gestures can't be the same? Please elaborate if important.

@dobey Please let us know what you understand, and were you have questions.

When the buttons are not available like on a laptop display, the gestures need to work independently.

But considering the buttons are usually on the bottom, the ability to flip to the "home" at the upper edge is a good complement to the "home" button below the display, making the "home" quickly accessible from the top and the bottom side on such devices. (And the top edge is even reachable by fingers holding the device on either side, too.)

By the way, wouldn't the new concept be really simple to explain to new users?

• The home screen can always be flipped in and out from above (even if there is no physical home button on the display).
• When there are multiple apps open, one can flip through them from the edges on the right or left side (one-by-one), or long-drag out the app overview from either side to manage the running apps (throw out, switch, reorder).

Really? Can it be so nice and easy folks?

Sorry, I was hoping the "gsm code" *#*#4636#*#* may open a network information app , as on other phones. As it seems to be widely reproducable, the best seems to be to write an issue report then.

There is an issue for hardware key support https://github.com/ubports/ubuntu-touch/issues/823 (improvable title), strictly speaking, this again seems hardly relevant for a discussion about possible improvements to the ubuntu touch gestures, but it's another possibility to improve, yes.

@advocatux The reporter there may miss a fast "home" gesture, like the short-drag (flip) on the upper edge, as discussed here.

Not sure if it works, but you might try dialing the code *#*#4636#*#* and check or report your configured data mode preference, and your network's voice capabilities.

The preferred network provider, and auto-selection setting is also a thing, and the phone may also take some time before properly detecting your mobile network environment.)

Thinking about the app launcher access overloading the interface and maybe it not fitting in too well with small form factors, maybe some way could be found to merge the useful parts of it into the "home" function on smaller devices.

Maybe part of this could be to make "home" only open as a menu-like, modal or overlay (not listed in the app overview) with

1. a flip (short-drag) from the top at any time
2. EDIT: another flip or back-flip at the top switches back to the last app again
3. by touching the blurred "home" background when in the app switcher.

Yeah, I agree it's good to have the discussion how things can be improved. Thanks @gb

I too use the app overview and switching all the time. Not clearly noticed before, but switching apps really seems not as straight forward and quick as it could be. The long-swipe + overview selection operation is getting longish for quickly changing to another app, compared to the quick flip (currently available only to get to the last app).

Nevertheless, the app overview is important and could be a nice place to allow reordering apps by dragging, but thats not possible now. Instead I find it each time showing the apps in a different order (last used put to the back (left) and the home scope always insterted as second). It might be easier and quicker to navigate if the sorting order would be kept, if not rearranged by dragging in the app overview, or no other sorting order was selected.

If it is a problem when the direction of the proposed app flipping hard-depends on the side (left/right), it should be possible to find a solution. Maybe allow flipping in the other direction: If the short-drag towards the center is not simply released, but the finger is instead moved back out of the screen again. (Like first reaching in (not necessarily pressing a little more) and then accelerating back and dragging the app out to the side, instead of only bopping it in, towards the center.)

@dobey

If relevant, please post forward a use-case how any of the edge assignment optimizations would degrade any aspect in regards to your questions?

The improved and relevant aspects have been identified above. But, to express some points in negative terms: With the old edge assignment,

• the distances and times to conduct actions were longer, especially if not directly accessible with the used side of hands
• getting "home" was not a fast action
• back and forth flipping to last app on one side was against physical analogy
• there was no support for fast flipping back and forth through all apps

User @gb has devised and inspired very sound UI/UX improvements regarding accessibility, symmetry, difficulty, and performance.

(Fitt's index metrics can not be broken, they improve or degrade.) A proper alternative for the originally proposed long-tap has been shown, and an improved gesture to access the "home" action has also been identified.

app flipping (from left and right) is fast, intuitive and improves access to running apps.
app switching (long-drag from left and right) provides an overview and allows larger, targeted jumps between a higher number of apps.

• Allows fast flipping back and forth to more than just the last used app.
• Accessible for both hands, compared to old behavior (mean difficulty index improved, due to shorter average distance).
• Performance improves due to shorter distances and the faster direct flipping times.

app launcher (old: short-drag left) can be integrated (opened together) with left and right app-flipping.

• Accessibility improves as it can be opened with both hands.
• Even if only opened if the flip is done in large enough sections near the corners (allowing to omit opening the app launcher when flipping in the middle), the target / distance ratio and difficulty index is improved due to the four locations instead of just one edge before.

home view (old: long-drag left) new: flip from top edge, which was not yet used before)

• Accessibility improves as it can be opened with both hands.
• Performance for the "home" action improves as the gesture changes from long-drag to short-drag (flip).

Other non-touch devices and platforms have additional means to open the UI elements, no drawbacks here.

Hm, ok does the app drawer always belong to (extend) the app launcher?

It would then be interesting to know if it would be possible to open the app launcher from either sides (together with fast left/right app-flipping done near the upper and lower corners) with the app drawer always extended towards the center.

Or only open the (unextended) app launcher when app-flipping (left/right) near the corners, and only extended the app-drawer right away with a fast-flip from the top? (long-drag from top opens system tray menu)

@gb What would be your take the ideas to make the user interface even more symetric?

• opening the app launcher when flipping left/right, if flipping near the upper and lower corners.)

I second, I have not thought about it before seeing your improvement draft above, but now I notice that what I do not like so much with the current ubuntu touch is that getting to the home screen (scope, drawer, whatever) is not a fast gesture. The quickest is currently the long-drag from the left. The long-press as you suggested would not be fast either, and does not seem to be technically possible.

Therefore, I think it might be a cool, fast way to

• quick-swipe from the top to open the "home menu".

And thus allow to make the interface completly symetric, no matter if holding the device in the left or right hand.