ubuntu-phone team mailing list archive

["Marco A. Harrendorf" <marcokarlo@xxxxxx>]

Dear all,

I was working on getting android apps running on Ubuntu Touch, have a
look on the "Android apps and XMir GL support". But I run into some
problems with the GL support.

In my humble opinion it is for now important to get Android apps running
on Ubuntu Touch as soon as possible since I have the impression that it
will take a while until all major apps are provided for Ubuntu Touch.
This will also make the transition for Android user easier since they
will not miss any apps and from Canonical points of view also a nice
selling argument.
Later on using android apps will be less important since then native
applications will be available.

The Ubuntu Touch developers and Canonical are doing an awesome work for
sure. Big thank to you all, guys!!! However, I have also gotten the
impression that they will need all their limited man power to port
Ubuntu Touch to the new devices, to work on the convergence feature and
UI design and to improve the documentation and developer tools so that
app programmers can provide apps. For this reason, I would assume that
in the near future they cannot provide so many additional features like
an android app emulator.

Therefore, I would propose to start some kind of a Kickstarter campaign
or better challenge in which the developer of an android emulator would
get the collected amount of money. I would back this project by 100
euros.
In my opinion this challenge should have the following general
conditions:

* The android emulator should be available in less than 3 months from
now. We will not need an android emulator in a year since hopefully then
the convergence feature will work perfectly and all major apps are
ported as native applications.

* The android emulator should be open source and based on open source
software like ARChon runtime, so that it can later be updated and
adopted to later Ubuntu Touch versions if necessary.

* The android emulator should allow to start apps directly from the
Ubuntu Touch UI and to run them like a normal Touch app. This will
require that also the maliit keyboard will be working.

* The android emulator should allow to download Android apps from the
F-Droid market.

* The first developer who can show a working version which can at least
run the 2048, the Xabber and the Whatsapp android app will get the
money.

* If we collect more than 15.000 Euros in total the winning developer
will get 10.000 Euros in an instant and the rest of the money after he
supported the android emulator for one year. As I said before I do not
think that we will need the emulator after one year.
If less the winning developer gets all the money after pushing his code
to Launchpad or Github.

I am not a developer and cannot exactly assess how much efforts it is to
get such an android emulator working and how much people would spend
money on this feature.
Moreover, I do not know if one could find a developer who would work on
this. Nevertheless, I would try this out since I have the feeling that I
am not the only one who is missing the one or other handy Android app
until the desktop applications are fitting on the smart phone screen. In
my opinion this would also support the current Ubuntu Touch developers
since this developer would also take care about the XMir GL support.

What is your opinion on that?
Would anyone also back this by money?

100 Euros are in the pot.

Attachment: signature.asc
Description: This is a digitally signed message part