Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Press Has Been Exceptionally Cruel to Ubuntu Edge

Ubuntu Edge



Summary: Criticism of the negativism that's so prevalent in Ubuntu Edge coverage, especially where corporate press is concerned

UBUNTU is in the headlines again. It's about Ubuntu Edge, which I have been watching for over a month, even before the announcement about it (thousands of articles have been published since then). While it is true that Ubuntu Edge did not reach its target/goal [1-4] Canonical does not view it as a failure [5-8] and it also marks a new world record [9], so it is definitely not a "failure" [10]. Perhaps the only failure was setting the goal as high as $32,000,000. Had the goal been set at $12,000,000, which is a high number (also aiming at a world record), what would the whiners have complained about? There is a lot of negative coverage (see the latest in [11-29]) and Jono Bacon does the usual PR/damage control in his blog [30-32]. Ubuntu did, despite scepticism, make it past 12 million [33], thanks for the most part to US-based buyers [34] and development for the Ubuntu Edge platform definitely continues [35] (with or without a phone that is Canonical-branded), so why be so pessimistic and negative? Canonical already has several phone-producing partners. I am hardly known as a fan of Ubuntu, but the press coverage seemed crude, mean, and generally biased. Let's be happy that Canonical proved enormous interest in GNU/Linux-based phones that also plug into larger machines (with peripherals) and thus act as desktops. Just like CrunchPad and other such products/concepts/prototypes which predate iPad and Android tablets, Ubuntu Edge can signal the way of the future. Linux and GNU derived a lot of good publicity from this, having been portrayed in some media as innovative, trailblazer, or whatever. Thanks for Ubuntu Edge, Canonical. Ignore those who envy the fund-raising record.



Related/contextual items from the news:



  1. RIP Ubuntu Edge, but Ubuntu is still coming to smartphones in 2014


  2. Ubuntu Edge smartphone misses crowdfunding goal by $19 million


  3. With $12.8M raised, Ubuntu Edge campaign fails, but it’s not all in vain


  4. Ubuntu Edge Campaign Admits $32 Million Goal Was 'Crazy'


  5. Ubuntu Edge – What Happened?
    The Ubuntu Edge crowdfunding campaign finished today, which despite having more money pledged than any previous crowdfunding campaign, fell $20 million short of its massive $32 million target.


  6. Canonical doesn't see Ubuntu Edge campaign as a failure
    The company didn't make its goal, but its leaders still see the crowdsourced Ubuntu Edge campaign as a success.


  7. Ubuntu Edge: founder says failure isn't the end of the dream


  8. Mark Shuttleworth: The Ubuntu Edge was a 'time machine'
    Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth on how the Ubuntu Edge would have been a "time machine" offering a glimpse at the future of mobiles.


  9. As The Ubuntu Edge Project Breaks Records It Also Gives Canonical A New Direction


  10. Ubuntu Edge: A grand experiment for the future of computing does not constitute a failure


  11. Ubuntu Edge crowdfunding campaign falls short by $19M, founder keeps dreaming


  12. Canonical misses smartphone crowdfunding goal by $19 million
    Canonical raised only US$12.8 million of the $32 million it wanted for the production of the Ubuntu-based Edge smartphone.


  13. Ubuntu Linux Edge Misses Funding Goal: What's Next?


  14. Ubuntu Edge misses chance for Linux alternative
    Just a quick flag-in-the-sand post to mark the fate of a possible Android-alternative – the Ubuntu Edge (“the next generation of personal computing: smartphone and desktop PC in one state-of-the-art device”) missed its crowdfunding target on Wednesday.

    It reached a record total of pledges – $12.6m – but was still far from its very high target, of $32m. Under the terms of the crowd funding project, run on IndieGoGo, all contributions will be returned.


  15. Ubuntu Edge Linux mobe: 'Made you look,' crows Shuttleworth
    Um Bongo boss looks on bright side of $32m fundraising flop


  16. Despite Record-Breaking Crowdfunding, Ubuntu Edge Smartphone Falls Almost $20 Million Short Of Goal


  17. Canonical’s Ubuntu Edge crowdfunding dream is over. So what’s next for Ubuntu mobile?


  18. Ubuntu Edge smartphone misses its crowdfunding goal by over $19 million


  19. Ubuntu Edge Indiegogo campaign ends with over $19 million outstanding
    When Canonical took to Indiegogo to crowdfund its Ubuntu Edge smartphone, the $32 million it sought seemed like an incredibly lofty goal. And, one that's now proven unattainable. Despite quickly selling out of the lowest pledge tier that included a handset, reducing the price of more expensive tiers, then doing the same again as the deadline loomed, the campaign has closed over $19 million shy of its goal. Still, raising just over $12.8 million is a record of sorts, depending on whether you believe a failed effort qualifies. In total, a handful of high-cost bundles were pledged for, 5,674 backers coughed up enough for a lone Edge, and many more thousands offered small sums in support -- or, some just really wanted a T-shirt. We're not convinced the journey ends here, though. After all, there's clearly some desire for the Edge. Will we see investors step in to make it happen? Or, perhaps Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth will finally see fit to pump some of his own substantial reserves into the project.


  20. Ubuntu Edge smartphone campaign ends in failure, raising less than half of $32m crowdfunding goal


  21. Ubuntu Edge falls short in crowdfunding bid
    The British software developer Canonical broke crowdfunding records on the site Indiegogo, but still fell around $20m (€£12.8m) short of what it needed to develop the phone.


  22. Ubuntu Edge crowdsauce cash stash comes up short


  23. Ubuntu Edge -- failure was inevitable


  24. Ubuntu Edge Funding Effort Fails


  25. Requiem for the Ubuntu Edge: The phone is dead, but the dream lives on


  26. Ubuntu Edge smartphone fails to reach $32m crowdfunding target


  27. The $32 million super-phone is dead
    Canonical, maker of the popular free operating system Ubuntu, wanted to produce a smartphone to showcase what its forthcoming mobile OS can do.


  28. Ubuntu Edge will not be — ambitious smartphone project misses funding goal on IndieGoGo


  29. Ubuntu Edge: 'Formula One of Smartphones' Failed Crowdfunding Campaign Not the End


  30. Onwards and Upwards
    I am not surprised that we didn’t hit this ambitious $32million target, but I am surprised at what we did achieve. We broke all the crowd-funding records, garnered media attention across CNBC, Engadget, The Independent, TechCrunch, the BBC, T3, Stuff, The Verge, The Guardian, Wired, pandodaily, Fast Company, Forbes, The Telegraph and more. Every single person who put their support into the Ubuntu Edge campaign should be proud of their achievements and we are all thankful for your tremendous and inspiring support.


  31. Ubuntu In a Nutshell: The Ubuntu SDK and Developer Story
    In my last article I talked about the new app upload process, but today I am going to talk about how developers write apps in the first place.


  32. Start With Art In Indianapolis
    My presentation focused on the intersection between art and community, and the many similar driving forces behind both. Art is meant to be created, distributed, shared, and enjoyed, and communities are a wonderful way to infuse artists with opportunity. Likewise creativity is the backbone of great community.


  33. Ubuntu Edge At $11M With Less Than Three Days Left


  34. United States Is the Biggest Contributor to Ubuntu Edge
    Canonical has shared some interesting statistics about the Ubuntu Edge IndiGoGo project and about the top contributors.


  35. The Ubuntu App Showdown Contest
    Welcome to the second Ubuntu App Showdown, an open contest to develop new Ubuntu applications from startup to deployment in just six weeks! This time we’ll have a mobile theme, asking developers to write apps for Ubuntu on phones, the exciting new platform introduced earlier this year.


Recent Techrights' Posts

GNU/Linux Grows at Windows' Expense and Microsoft Trolls Infest and Maliciously Target Articles About It
Microsoft is - and has long been - organised crime
They Say I'm Mr. Bombastic
They didn't take good lawyers
 
Computers Got Smaller, So GNU/Linux Got Bigger
Many people here recognise the lack of urgency (or need) to get expensive new laptops
BetaNews is a Plagiarism and LLM Slop Hub, the Chief Editor Isn't Addressing This Problem Anymore
SS Fagioli is basically a parasite leeching off or exploiting other people's work
Links 09/06/2025: Chaos in Los Angeles and Hurricane Season
Links for the day
Links 09/06/2025: Windows TCO and Many Data Breaches
Links for the day
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VI: Political Stunts by Former President Edyta Demby-Siwek and the Connection to Profound Corruption at EUIPO
it's like a money-laundering operation where one politician rewards another at taxpayers' expense
Gemini Links 09/06/2025: Pipelines and Splitgate
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, June 08, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, June 08, 2025
Links 08/06/2025: Tiananmen Carnage Censorship Persists, North Korean Goes Offline
Links for the day
Gemini Links 08/06/2025: Love as an Ethnographic Method and Monitorix Gemini-Frontend v0.1
Links for the day
Links 08/06/2025: Exposure of More GAFAM Surveillance and Social Security Records Compromised
Links for the day
Linux Foundation is a Mediator for Microsoft et al, Not for Small Companies That Support Rather Than Attack the GPL
Many people still wrongly assume that because it is called "Linux Foundation", then it is pro-Linux and represents the same mindset
This Past Friday, Confirming What We Said All Along About Brett Wilson LLP: It's Shrinking, Has Considerable Debt, Loss of Net Assets Despite the Microsoft SLAPP Money
The documents only became publicly available less than 2 days ago
Some of the Many Reasons We Sued Microsofters for Harassment
perpetrators of harassment
For 20 Years Many People Were Sharecropping for Canonical's Oligarch, Now He's Deleting All Their Contributions
"Ubuntu has erased instead of archiving the trove of material at Ubuntu Forums"
There Was Always Too Much 'Crazy Stuff' Going on Around Freenode
What many IRC users lost sight of
Exposing Crime is Not a Crime (It Never Was)
In the eyes of rich and powerful people, those who speak about their crimes are the "criminals"
GNU/Linux Distros Abandoning Microsoft GitHub
Will curl be next to leave Microsoft GitHub?
Expect More XBox Mass Layoffs Soon If the Rumours Are True
From a Microsoft media operative
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, June 07, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, June 07, 2025
Europe Needs to Move Away From GAFAM; The Sooner, the Better
Europe - not just the EU - must abandon GAFAM as soon as possible
The Issue Isn't GNOME's Promotion of Diversity But GNOME Corruption, Abuse, Censorship, and Worse
So-called "Conservative" (republican, pro-Trump, bigoted) people want you to think the problem with GNOME is politics
When the News Sources Become Scarce and Increasingly Full of Polluted/Contaminated 'Content' (With LLM Slop and Slop Images)
Integrity matters
"Linux" Sites That Spew Out LLM Slop
We're lacking enough material for another "Slopwatch"
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part V: Breaking the Law, Just Like EPO
We'll hopefully cover some of the pertinent details later this year
Links 08/06/2025: Security Lapses, CISA Cuts, and More
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/06/2025: Mime Types and Geminisphere Introduction
Links for the day
Links 07/06/2025: Slop Companies Retain All Private Data, More Books Banned in the US
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/06/2025: "A Monk's Guide to Happiness" and "Wireless Earbuds"
Links for the day
Links 07/06/2025: More Rumours of Mass Layoffs in Microsoft's XBox Division, New COVID Variant
Links for the day
Drug Addiction is a Real Problem, It Destroys Families
a rather sensitive matter
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part IV: Political Scrutiny and Errors/Inconsistencies in Official Documents
When such organisations receive scrutiny they start focusing on cover-up and muzzling of facts (or crushing people who say the truth)
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, June 06, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, June 06, 2025