Hello,

I'm trying out UT for a blog post and, thanks to some contributors here on the forum, have just discovered that I've spent the last week testing out stuff on the Beta channel of Noble, with quite a few frustrations.

I see now that there is a small print link underneath the channel drop down menu in the installer that links to this informative page (https://docs.ubports.com/en/latest/about/process/release-schedule.html) but I fear a lot of new users may read past that and trust that the default selection ('24.4 daily' in this case) is the best one. Additional to that, very non-tech users may not even fully understand the release schedule page descriptors.

I would therefore like to suggest that the latest stable mode should always be in the default position in the drop down menu in the UBPorts installer, especially as the installer is meant to give access to more people.

I probably should have introduced myself here first. Hi, I am The Privacy Dad and I write a blog under that pseudonym (theprivacydad.com). I've been writing since 2022 about my experiences with privacy software, platforms, devices and good habits for me and for my family.

Last month I bought a second-hand Pixel 3aXL in order to try out UT. I have tried out a lot of mobile operating systems and feel excited and hopeful learning about Ubuntu Touch.

I cannot contribute technically, but I like to write and edit.

Thank you everyone for answering my questions as I was learning about UT. Here is the published review:

https://theprivacydad.com/using-ubuntu-touch-on-a-pixel-3a-phone/

Best,
TPD

@Keneda I think the main thing is that the stable channel should come up as the default. Being new to UT, I clicked right past that menu and ended up having a few puzzling days with UT, before figuring out what had happened.

Hello everyone,

I have been trying out Ubuntu Touch on a Pixel 3A XL and taking notes for a user experience article on my blog, which is https://theprivacydad.com/. I always write from a 'regular' (non-developer) user perspective, someone who wants more agency and privacy. I write the blog as a 'labour of love' project to promote better understanding of digital privacy tools for non-technical users and usually have between 200 - 300 unique visits a day.

I am also testing out UT with a view to possibly installing it for my own kids. They currently run /e/OS, as that works on so many older devices.

I just wanted to say hello here. I usually do my own research and note-taking, but if there are any specific aspects of UT I need to be aware of, I would appreciate that information.

I watched this week's Q&A and found that format helpful for newcomers, especially information about app updates. I am finding this forum and the UBPorts documentation excellent. I love that the documentation is clear and concise (reading in English).

Other aspects I've had to discover more organically, by watching YouTubers, for example. I learned about Libertine that way (and thankfully, how to see the installation progress, which took 24 hours!) and Waydroid, which I still need to try.

A hurdle at the moment for me as a new user is outdated browsers in the store, since there are some sites that I would like to turn into WebApps but I get warnings about them not working. This includes my own Nextcloud homepage, from which I cannot download my KeePass database file (nor does UBsync seem to work for me). I will try out uWolf, though not sure what to make of the warnings about my system in red when I installed it. I appreciated @RJDan 's reference to the KeeWeb Online Web App on the forum.

The OpenStore looks and feels excellent. I like that the user experience feedback is prominent. The OS installation process was super easy with the installer! Hopefully that will help new users without tech skills better able to access UT.

Perhaps one question I have is that I see a terminal but don't know how far I should attempt to go with installing software the way I am used to on desktop Linux.

Anyway, if I am missing any major aspect, I'd be interested to know. Thank you for the work on this important project. I have been a desktop Linux user for years, as have my children, and I'd love to be able to use it on mobile too!

@kugiigi

Thanks for the good info. I'm running NC 31.

@kugiigi said in Trying out UT on Pixel 3a XL for review article:

you're most likely using Beta version of Ubuntu Touch 24.04 Noble

Oh, wow. You are right. I will have to start over with my notes, most likely, after installing the stable channel.

I have now found this page: https://docs.ubports.com/en/latest/about/process/release-schedule.html via the small link in the installer.

I don't know who to report this to, but if the UBPorts installer is designed to lower the barrier for non-tech people, can I suggest putting the stable channel as default in the drop-down menu? Someone new to all of this will read 'daily' and not understand what that is. I read right past it and continued the installation.

Thank you! I'll reinstall today sometime.

@johndoe Thanks, I have downloaded uWolf and will check out Mimi.

So snap packages can be installed directly into UT?

@ChromiumOS-Guy said in Trying out UT on Pixel 3a XL for review article:

By default LibreWolf will delete cookies when closed you can change that in about:settings

Thanks, useful to know! I and thanks for the work you are doing!

@Moem Thanks for spotting that. I have fixed it. I will check out KeePass and Signal soon!

@pparent Awesome!

@kugiigi said in The Privacy Dad's review of Ubuntu Touch:

I think this is a recent issue on the installer. I believe it defaults to stable before.

I made the suggestion here: https://forums.ubports.com/topic/11285/suggestion-put-stable-channel-as-default-in-ubports-installer?_=1761672248369

@bunt7 Thanks! What is your experience like using Waydroid daily? Does the battery go quicker?

@Keneda I think the main thing is that the stable channel should come up as the default. Being new to UT, I clicked right past that menu and ended up having a few puzzling days with UT, before figuring out what had happened.

@Moem Thanks for spotting that. I have fixed it. I will check out KeePass and Signal soon!

Thank you everyone for answering my questions as I was learning about UT. Here is the published review:

https://theprivacydad.com/using-ubuntu-touch-on-a-pixel-3a-phone/

Best,
TPD

I probably should have introduced myself here first. Hi, I am The Privacy Dad and I write a blog under that pseudonym (theprivacydad.com). I've been writing since 2022 about my experiences with privacy software, platforms, devices and good habits for me and for my family.

Last month I bought a second-hand Pixel 3aXL in order to try out UT. I have tried out a lot of mobile operating systems and feel excited and hopeful learning about Ubuntu Touch.

I cannot contribute technically, but I like to write and edit.

@arubislander said in Trying out UT on Pixel 3a XL for review article:

Opening an issue about it on the Installer's issue tracker will keep the info from getting lost.

Done! https://github.com/ubports/ubports-installer/issues/4177

@arubislander An easier fix might be a highlighted warning message in that particular window of the installer to newcomers to choose the latest 'stable' version. That way the changing order doesn't matter.

@arubislander It looks like that, yes, from newest to oldest.