ubuntu-phone team mailing list archive

[Greg W <mttbrnsmls@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

My apologies for any "insult" you gleaned from my email. I don't think FOSS users are poor nor did I in any way mean to say that people use FOSS because they can't afford a proprietary option. I don't believe this at all and regret that you came to this idea from what I wrote. My reference was that the commercial devices tend to be more affordable because of the commercial integration like "financing options" for free phones with contract, access to old phones at big discount, payments for phone month to month, etc. It better enables people to afford the devices even when they don't have a lot of money all at once. 

I get the "halo device." My emails' purpose was to argue the "halo device" concept would meet greater success if the Edge as Phone was introduced first and the "halo device" came next. And it would also allow people who can't afford the "halo device" to have a similar designed (but less capable) phone. 

Deepest apologies if any of this came across as an insult. I'm just trying to put some of my thoughts out to the community if any of them help Canonical succeed. Whenever I do this though it seems like I'm always walking on eggshells to not "insult" or "piss" someone off despite my best efforts to be courteous, respectful, and grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts in forums like this. I share your view that FOSS is superior software and that's why so many choose to use it. I love FOSS and the people that make it.

I'm really impressed with the Canonical influenced design of the Edge. And it's because I'm so impressed that it's disappointing to me that the Edge will "die" if the campaign fails. It seems like a great design would be going to waste. Everything I've read has said that if the campaign is not successful, Canonical's influence on hardware design will be no more.

Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2013 11:52:29 -0500
Subject: Re: [Ubuntu-phone] Ubuntu Edge (constructive criticism/advice on Canonical's approach)
From: coder543@xxxxxxxxx
To: mttbrnsmls@xxxxxxxxxxx
CC: ubuntu-phone@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; joerlend.schinstad@xxxxxxxxxx

No, you missed the point entirely. This is a "halo device." Whether it sells a single one is entirely irrelevant. Its purpose is not to sell in large quantities, and it isn't meant for people who are short on cash. This is a device meant for people who want the very best and have the money to get it.

And I will also say that it's rather insulting to suggest FOSS people do not have much money. People don't use FOSS because they're poor. They use it because it's better. Large swaths of the world pirate Windows because they disagree about the superiority of FOSS. They don't have the money to buy Windows, but they still use it. Lack of money is not a defining attribute if the FOSS community by any means.

There will be dedicated Ubuntu phone hardware hitting the market next year, from a variety of manufacturers. Convince one of them to make a device you like. There are other fantastic designs besides the iPhone. The iPhone 5 is an excellently designed piece of hardware, don't get me wrong, but it's not alone.

Sincerely,

Josh
On Aug 4, 2013 11:28 AM, "Greg W" <mttbrnsmls@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:




I didn't miss the point (Canonical is making an erroneous assumption about the market--let me explain). I am aware of all the Ubuntu "supported models" available on the market. But frankly, I don't like any of them. 


The Edge design is unlike any of the Android phones (AKA supported models) on the market. So I think it is Canonical that is missing the point by assuming the Edge doesn't offer anything more than convergence over an "Android container." My argument is that it does to such an extent that people will buy it over current "Android container" offerings.


The only physical shell (size/container/design) I really like that is on the mobile phone market today is the iPhone 5, and it cannot run Ubuntu. My primary hardware criticism with the iPhone 5 is that it does not have stereo speakers. The Edge does have stereo speakers and has similar design parameters to the iPhone 5: roughly the same size, shape, similar speaker placement, button arrangement, etc.


So as the market stands today I am faced with this dilemma: do I want to buy the hardware-container I prefer or the software I prefer? With the Ubuntu Edge Phone as an option, I could buy both the hardware-container I prefer & the software I prefer.


Mobile Phones are different than Laptops/Desktop. You carry them around with you all day in a pocket. And the shape/weight/thickness/shell-arrangement all become important considerations that aren't as important for Laptops/Desktops. I love open source, but I do not like Android, and I do not like any of the hardware-containers Android offers. 


From: joerlend.schinstad@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2013 17:55:01 +0200
Subject: Re: [Ubuntu-phone] Ubuntu Edge (constructive criticism/advice on Canonical's approach)

To: mttbrnsmls@xxxxxxxxxxx
CC: estelar57@xxxxxxxxxxx; ubuntu-phone@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


You seem to have missed the point entirely. If you want an Ubuntu Phone, then there are phones already available on the market. Supported models now, are LG Nexux 4 and Samsung Nexus Galaxy. But there are many more unofficial ports. 




The reason for the Ubuntu Edge was never to win the market or anything like that. Canonical isn't a hardware company. The whole point was to create a phone that was much more powerful than any phone that could realistically be launched as a commercial product. It is supposed to be a means to try out _future_ hardware and to push all boundaries. Even a very low-spec smart-phone that you describe, would have to be much more expensive than comparable models on the market, simply because of the low number of devices that could be sold. 




If what you want is for Canonical to become a hardware company and compete with Samsung and Apple, then I don't think that's realistic. It's much better to attract existing manufacturers who are already in the hardware game. 

 		 	   		  

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