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Ubuntu Makes Many Headlines Again, This Time Because of Real Phones

Summary: Canonical's latest marketing effort brings awareness of Ubuntu, Linux and even GNU/Free software to a lot of people all around the world

WHILE we may not agree with Canonical on everything, the company does have a positive effect on GNU/Linux adoption and many distributions are derived from it. When Canonical tried to kickstart the "Edge" we defended Canonical and criticised negative coverage which called "Edge" vapourware (a self-fulfilling prophecy). Well, now we know, based on the words of Canonical's founder [1], that Apple played a role in making it hard to get screens for the "Edge". CNET/CBS did not cover it properly (it seems more like Apple marketing), but it's a serious issue which is at least being put out there right now.



Canonical and Ubuntu have not been making headlines for a while (except when Canonical was left with not much choice but to abandon its project, Upstart [2-5], as well as some non-news about Ubuntu Touch [6-8], Ubuntu desktop [9,10], convergence of those two [11-13], and servers [14]), so we were delighted to see a press release [15] followed by aggressive marketing by Canonical staff like Jono Bacon [16-17] really flooding the news/Internet with articles that mention (GNU/)Linux and the role it has in phones. This is not only good for Ubuntu; it's probably good for Free software as a whole. It wasn't just covered in FOSS sites or even technology sites; even general news sites covered it [18-55], bringing the message to a lot of people all around the world, even in poorer nations like the Philippines [56,57].

Well done, Canonical.

Related/contextual items from the news:



  1. Apple 'snapped up' sapphire displays, says Canonical founder
    "Apple just snapped up three year's worth of the supply of sapphire screens from the company that we had engaged to make the screens for the Edge," he said (at roughly the 30:45 mark linked to above). The report about the sapphire display comments first appeared at Gigaom.


  2. Ubuntu Will Switch To Systemd Abandoning Their Own init System Upstart


  3. Systemd dominates and Debian, Ubuntu, Git updates – Linux Snippets


  4. Linux init-system shocker: Mark Shuttleworth announces that Ubuntu will follow Debian and adopt systemd


  5. Canonical Drops Upstart for systemd in Ubuntu Linux


  6. Ubuntu Touch x86 emulator improves security, OpenGL


  7. Canonical Confirms Arrival Of VLC, Spinlet, Mapbox & Other Third Party Apps For Ubuntu Touch


  8. Canonical gets support from major app developers for Ubuntu Touch
    Canonical has announced that the company has got support from major app developers for Ubuntu Touch—the mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system.


  9. Ubuntu 14.04 brings back menus in application windows
    Ubuntu users, I tell you this: good things come to those who wait. For all of you cheerful Ubuntu users, come 14.04, you’ll be able to choose whether or not you wish your application menus to appear globally or locally. With Locally Integrated Menus (coined by Unity Desktop member JohnLea), that will become possible.


  10. Mesa 10.1 Should Make It Into Ubuntu 14.04 LTS
    Mesa 10.1 brings many new OpenGL features, new hardware support, and as with most Mesa updates is a very worthwhile upgrade for users of the open-source Linux graphics stack. There's been many articles about Mesa 10.1 on Phoronix while there's also the Mesa 10.1 feature overview. Mesa 10.1 itself is in a release candidate stage but should be officially released later this month on 28 February.


  11. No Mobile Support for Ubuntu store apps until version 14.04
    Running an app simultaneously on your PC, tablet and mobile is the apex of technology nirvana, right? If you are a user of Ubuntu and into the news, you must have heard that there is a thing called “Karma app” into the market, which has been marketed up by Ubuntu Community Manager Jono Bacon this week showed off Karma Machine, a reddit client built by a third-party developer using the Ubuntu SDK. What Karma does is that it allows you to enjoy the apps both on your PC, tablet and mobile but, strangely enough, it does not support Ubuntu Center in it. You ask why? Because there won’t be any cross platform support until Ubuntu 14.4.


  12. Jono Bacon demos Ubuntu complete convergence with Karma Machine
    Canonical aims to unite the code base for all of their operating systems–for desktop, mobile, TV, and server–somewhere between the releases of Ubuntu 14.10 and Ubuntu 15.04. And the developers are pretty close to achieving this complete convergence.


  13. This is what Ubuntu convergence is all about – a single app running across different devices


  14. Joyent Partners with Canonical on Customized Ubuntu as a Cloud Service
    Joyent, well-known on the cloud computing scene and a growing player in Big Data analytics, announced a partnership with Canonical today to provide customers with optimized and supported Ubuntu server images in the Joyent Cloud. Effectively, users will be able to leverage a Canonical-customized Ubuntu in the cloud. The two companies also want to enable developers and enterprises to create mobile, big data and high-performance applications on Ubuntu and Joyent's OS-Virtualized cloud platform.


  15. Canonical Announces First Partners to Ship Ubuntu Phones Around the Globe


  16. You'll NEVER guess who's building the first Ubuntu phones in 2014
    The first smartphones running Ubuntu will ship this year, Canonical now says – although the Linux vendor's hardware partners are hardly the first companies you might guess.


  17. Today’s Ubuntu News
    I am sure that you have all seen the exciting news about the first partners to ship Ubuntu smart-phones.


  18. Two Ubuntu phones to hit market this year
    The wait is over, Ubuntu phones are coming. Canonical today announced that Meizu of China, and BQ of Spain, will start selling Ubuntu powered phones by the year end. While the company claims that these devices will be made available globally, it seems that the phones will be targeted at the local market of the two players as Ubuntu doesn’t hold enough weight to break the dominance of Android and iOS in stronger economies like EU and the US. Mozilla knows the reality and despite being much bigger than Canonical chose to focus on emerging markets for the same reason.


  19. Ubuntu Touch gets grip on its first phone makers
  20. Canonical, Partners Promise First Ubuntu Phones This Year
  21. Is there still room for Ubuntu smartphones on the market?


  22. Canonical announces first partners to ship Ubuntu phones around the globe


  23. Daily Roundup: Ubuntu's first phones, Lumia Icon review and more!


  24. Ubuntu phones arriving in 2014 from Meizu and BQ Readers


  25. First Ubuntu smartphones to debut in 2014
  26. Canonical confirms partners for first Ubuntu phones
  27. Canonical announces manufacturers of Ubuntu phones
  28. Video: Did this Ubuntu superphone concept inspire the upcoming iPhone 6?
  29. Canonical names first Ubuntu Touch smartphone makers
  30. Ubuntu Phones from Meizu and bq Coming This Year
  31. Ubuntu Touch Finally Has Hardware Partners
  32. Ubuntu-based Smartphones Available In 2014
  33. Ubuntu desktop moving application menus back into application windows


  34. Linux Extends Its Mobile Empire With Ubuntu Phones
    Today, Canonical — the company that develops Ubuntu — announced partnerships with Spanish hardware designer bq and the Chinese mobile device company Meizu, saying that both would introduce phones over the next 10 months. The news is part of wider movement towards Linux phones across the world and particularly in Asia, where the open source OS can feed the enormous market for inexpensive devices.


  35. Meizu And BQ To Roll Out Ubuntu Smartphones


  36. Canonical announces BQ and Meizu as first Ubuntu phone partners


  37. Meizu, bq to sell Ubuntu phones in 2014, platform a 'credible alternative' to Android


  38. Two small manufacturers will release Ubuntu phones this year, Canonical says


  39. Canonical announces Ubuntu phones for release in 2014


  40. First Ubuntu phones coming this year from China’s Meizu and Spain’s Bq
  41. First Ubuntu phones to launch in 2014
  42. Canonical To Ship Ubuntu Smartphones From bq And Meizu Later This Year
  43. Ubuntu phones from Meizu and bq in 2014 Canonical promises
  44. Canonical announces first Ubuntu smartphone manufacturers
  45. First Ubuntu phones to launch in 2014
  46. Ubuntu smartphones coming later this year, Canonical reveals
  47. Ubuntu phones to ship this year from two manufacturers
  48. Meizu, bq to launch Ubuntu smartphones in 2014
  49. First Ubuntu phones on track for 2014 as handset makers jump on board
  50. Canonical details first Ubuntu smartphone partners, devices due to arrive later this year


  51. Meizu and BQ Readers will ship Ubuntu phones this year
  52. First Ubuntu Phone manufacturers announced


  53. Canonical announces first Ubuntu smartphone manufacturers


  54. Two Ubuntu phones with top apps in 2014


  55. Ubuntu phones arriving in 2014 from Meizu and BQ Readers
    Canonical is finally poised to enter the mobile market. After years of teases, promises and demos, the company has locked up the first two manufacturers of Ubuntu phones. Meizu and BQ Readers will be releasing handsets with the Linux-based OS installed on them sometime in 2014. Details about release date, price and specs are still to be determined, but we were told to expect more info at Mobile World Congress (which kicks off this weekend). The list of supporting carriers also remains a mystery, but at least we know that there will be consumer-ready Ubuntu phones on the market before the end of the year. Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical's founder, is keeping things close to his chest, but he did say that two more manufacturers with "household names" should be coming on board in 2015.


  56. PHL among countries to get first crack at Ubuntu smartphones
    Filipinos may be among the first to get a first crack at using smartphones powered by the Linux-based Ubuntu operating system.

    Canonical said Smart Philippines will be among its first partners to ship Ubuntu smartphones manufactured by China-based Meizu.


  57. Smart joins telco global leaders supporting Ubuntu




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