ubuntu-phone team mailing list archive

[darkdragon <darkdragon-001@xxxxxx>]

Hey Simon,

I think you covered some very important topics for the success of a mobile
OS.

On Sun, Feb 24, 2013 at 3:27 PM, Schnuff <Schnuff_Forum@xxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> 1. (OS-) Updates/Upgrades:
> If this topic is covered well I see a good chance to get UbuntuTouch
> spread greatly.
> Companies (customers) have a high interest in getting (Smart-)Phones with
> a high period of use.
> How "the others" are handling this [times are approximately]:
>  - Android: 0days - 1 years, 4 months
> The Hardware-producer is responsible for updates. Google's oldest
> Smartphone still updated (Galaxy Nexus) was released: Dec 2011. All other
> Smartphone-Vendors have no interest to support their devices, so only a few
> are getting updated (after a long waiting period).
> Even the carrier (O2, ATM, Vodafone, Telecom, ...) have a say in updates.
> Some updates are available only by some carriers.
>
Android's problem (my opinion): Fragmentation (very different hardware),
Changability by carriers

>  - iOS: 3 years, 9 months
> Only a few hardware-options are available. Updates are developed and
> deployed by Apple. Oldest still updated device (IPhone 3GS) was released:
> June 2009
>  - Windows Phone 8: <to new>
> Seems like Microsoft is publishing the OS-updates? So Smartphones will get
> updates for a longer period?
> Hardware-producers only have the option to publish "software that improve
> performance" (drivers?!)
>
I have to mention that there was NO SINGLE device upgradable from WP7 to
WP8. This could be because WP8 was a really big change, but this makes it
hard to speculate about the future...

>  - BlackBerry OS: 1 year
> See "iOS". The newest version (Blackberry OS 10) is only available on
> BlackBerry Z10, released: Feb 2012
>
> Conclusion:
> If you have to buy a Smartphone at the moment and want a high (software-)
> lifespan:
>  - Buy a iPhone.
>  - Buy a "Windows Phone 8"-Phone and hope Microsoft will update your
> device long enough. [I didn't find an official statement on this]
>

I think that it is important for an OS to deliver the latest updates to as
many as possible devices for the following reasons:

   - *Security* fixes
   - *Speed* enhancements
   - Make life easier for *users*: Everyone has the newest version - thus
   the same version -> You can better exchange knowledge about tipps/tricks
   with your friends
   - Make *upgrading* to the next *hardware *generation easier: Since you
   always have the newest version on your old phone, there is not such a big
   change when you move to new hardware
   - Make life easier for *app developers*: Since people get the newest
   version, there are less versions on the market -> As an app developer, you
   can use the newest API without worrying that it won't work with many of
   your customers


2. "improvements" by carriers (o2, ATM, Vodafone, Telecom, ...) or
> Hardware-producers:
> It's sometimes really annoying if you bought a Smartphone and have so much
> "improvements" installed by default that you can't use it.
> For example: My Android device (Galaxy S Plus) had a Samsung-surface, Apps
> I didn't need (but had to update though security concerns).
>  - UbuntTouch: "[...] can be tailored to your brand, integrating your
> custom services, content and apps." see:
> http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/phone/operators-and-oems
> In !my! own words: "get our OS, abuse it and tell your customers it was
> Ubuntu/Canonicals fault".
>
This is what I am also worrying about...

>  - Android: Every Hardware-producer/carrier has it's own surface, if you
> buy Samsung-Android you mustn't have a clue how to use a Sony-Android. Some
> apps are preinstalled, you can't remove them.
>  - iOS: One surface for all Hardware
>  - Windows Phone 8: see iOS
>  - BlackBerry OS: see iOS
>

Personal story (my personal opinion): For the first versions of Android,
HTC was a good deal, because their "HTC Sense" modification added Android's
missing features for the customer. Today, Android has pretty much improved
and their modification is only making the OS slower - therefore me and my
friends would not buy one of the current HTC phones...

So why is HTC (I think it's the same with other manufacturers - but I don't
know them as well) still making so many modification:
I think it is because the smartphone market is currently very very tough.
That's why these companies try to work out differences from the other
manufacturers so that they can 1) promote their special OS features 2) make
comparing between manufacturers more difficult so that they can get higher
prices.

I think that this is something you should keep in mind when you develop a
mobile operation system. Ask you the following questions:

   - what is the motivation to modify on OS?
   - what problems occur through this modification?
   - how will you handle such modification?
   - which areas/layers are covered by modification (core/apps/...)?


3. Security
>  - Android: At the time you download an app, you see what categories of
> api's the software is going to use. In some cases you can deny access of
> software to some api's in runtime (address book)
>  - iOS: <i have no iOS device> see Android?!
>

Security is totally different in iOS:

Every app you download has the same permissions (1. access internet 2.
write data in a private app space - the user is never presented with the
file system. he can use apps and these apps can save and deliver some data.
The user NEVER interferes with the file system directly).

When the app needs more permissions (location, contacts, notifications) and
the user has not granted them yet, an info pop up is shown to the user
where he can allow or forbid such a permission. Further, these permissions
are handled by the OS (yes, also notifications) and all settings concerning
these APIs have to be set in the OS settings. This is one central place to
allow/mute/change appearance of the notifications for example. I personally
like this behavior, because it 1) makes life easier for developers since
they don't have to program those settings screens 2) makes life easier for
users and ensure customizability by the users. At the first glance you
might not think that you can even better customize something in iOS. But
since the OS handles the notification settings, the OS builds in new
features (like lock screen notifications in iOS) and every app directly can
use these new features. In Android, you can mute notifications for one app,
at a different place for another app, you can change color of notification
LED for one app between all RGB values, you can only use predefined colors
for another app, and other apps don't let you modify this behavior...

There are some permissions that are not available at all in iOS: access
phone, access sms, access file system / SD card, differentiate between
different location types, ...).


>  - Windows Phone 8: see iOS
>  - BlackBerry OS: see iOS, additionally BlackBerry has user-accounts so
> one user can install apps which aren't accessible (and therefore can't
> access) an other user.
>
> 4. Portability
> How will writing apps be handled? If I'm writing a C++ - Based program how
> will you (Canonical) be able to deploy it to different processors?
>  - UbuntuTouch: qml, html5 are processor independent, what about C++?
>  - Android: Usage of Java [So it's processor independent], the few C++
> librarys have to be ported to new processors by their developers
>  - iOS: only one Processor
>  - Windows Phone 8: C# [So it's processor independent], I don't know how
> the C++ part is handled.
>  - BlackBerry OS: Java [So it's processor independent]
>
> 5. Legal / Law
> Especially in USA it is hard for newcomers to get into the market because
> the big companies are suppressing them with patents, ...
> Those patents can include: Software, Hardware and Design [Design isn't a
> patent but it is usable like one in curt]
>  - Samsung vs. Apple
>  - Samsung vs. Microsoft
>  - Motorola vs. Microsoft
>  - ...
>

cheers, darkdragon