… and it has already been subject to the discussion in this thread.
Thank you for your hint to the Sailfish website.
Given that Sailfish works fine, I would prefer such a solution. I think that for many people it would be a smaller step to change to a Smartphone that has an Android-like and Android-capaple OS than being confronted with any off-the-mainstream stuff.
No, but they regulary do because of problems finding capable maintainers or tu much effort in porting newer versions. They also never release stable versions for a lot of devices because they never reach stable status. While open drivers etc would be a big plus, maintaining a device’s software still is a lot of work and is not necessarily done by the community just because it is possible.
There is now. Keep an eye on omgubuntu.co.uk and their twitter feeds to learn when flash sales from canonical and spanish manufacturer bq are held.
Welcome! It would love Firefox OS on the Fairphone as well.
Sounds great. Also support Firefox OS developers/maintainers for Fairphone, possible financially with a “Firefox OS €” i.e. one € or something of each sold Fairphone used to fund Open Source development for the Fairphone.
The current Fairphone OS comes without Google, as well as cyanogen or Omni Rom, preinstalled. But this cuts you away from the most reliable and largest source of the Apps you mention people feel dependen on: The Google Play Store. Installing is easy thought and most people seem to do that to get access to the ecosystem around Android.
There is another possibility: It would be great if the next fairphone gets a ubuntu os
I voted for 2 - Open source OS. I would love to see Fairphone get an Ubuntu OS. A decoupling from Google would help to make the Fairphone a free phone also, considering all the privacy/data collection issues that come with Google. The main thing that I like about the Ubuntu OS is that it also allows the phone to operate like a fully fledged computer (although a little underpowered), which would reduce redundant hardware, ie a computer to be used for word processing/web browsing that could instead be done from an ubuntu phone connected to a large screen.
I prefer that FP supports both Android and open source alternatives. To have the possibility to decide is the most important aspect in my opinion. So you always give the not-so-much-experienced users the possibility to learn the ropes. I using Windows since i was a child and never made it to install a linux yet. But i am planning to do so. If i wouldn’t have the option to switch, the phone would lose either the one or the other userbase. So i stick with A, but B is also mandatory imho.
I love to see Ubuntu Phone OS on the Fairphone!!
The best option for me would be a device that allowed full support of the Replicant OS. This would keep the android people happy as this would allow access to the large amount of software available for android but at the same time would be in full support of open source. To briefly fill people in who are unaware of the project Replicant is android with all the proprietry drivers removed and replaced with free open ones. It’s also the only OS for phones endorsed by the FSF (free software federation)
I too would prefer Replicant OS over any other Operating System, but to be overly correct here it is NOT Open Source! Replicant is fully free as in freedom. The FSF is not a big fan of the Open Source Movement and at a quick glance at the Replicant Homepage I couldn’t find the terms “Open Source” or even “FOSS” mentionend there at all.
I would really like cyanogenmod on my phone. Used it on my old samsung and was quite happy with it… and I kind of think it more compatible to fairphone values (don’t know why, maybe the open source / community developed idea?!).
But I’m not an expert, just a user…
Hi,
When I used cyanogenmod on my last samsung I don’t remember not being able to use android applications… I think I had the exact same apps on my phone.
I’m not talking about CyanogenMod in that post. CM is just custom Android build.
Dear @Jan_Schurmann, @Hans_DerGrosse and @OTCM:
I have noted you have not posted in the forums before and all joined that thread in a similar timeframe. Since you all voiced interest for Ubuntu on the FP, i was interested to hear if you are Ubuntu users or community members? Are you already FP owners? Would you consider buying on if it had Ubuntu, even if it was a lot more expensive then say the current bq Ubuntu Phone? Don’t get me wrong, i am not trying to devalue your opinion on this topic (speaking of first post) but on the contrary, i am interested if you heard about the FP through some Ubuntu channel?
@evidemment Cyanogenmod is just an Android distribution. All Android apps generally work with Cyanogen, as you experienced yourself with your Samsung device.
Generally, this is a very interesting thread here, but i feel the situation has changed a lot since this poll created. It seems pretty clear now the we probably wont get Android 4.4 (at least not officially) and this is due to issues with device support by MediaTek and Google’s development model. It also became clear that Google wont update older Android releases (before 4.3 or 4.4, not sure), they wont even fix security issues. This new situation changed my mind concerning this poll and it also changes the options we have. Maybe we should reconsider our options here and then, explaining these in more detail, open another poll.
I am unfortunately not a FP owner. I live in Australia and it is not available here yet. I would get one if it was available here, depending on the state of my current phone. I feel that Ubuntu more aligns with the Fairphone ideals. I dislike the idea that I am the product being sold with (ie android collecting info for ads) and although ubuntu may not stop this, it would reduce it. Ubuntu also has/had ( I’m not sure about the current state) the option of the phone being used as a simple computer when connected to screen and keyboard. I think that the ideals of people with fair phones will align with the “reduce” side of the 3 Rs, using the phone to reduce the need of a computer and move towards a single convergent device. I am an Ubuntu user, and I would buy a Fairphone running ubuntu even if it were more expensive, because that’s what fair trade costs. Buying a Fairphone currently costs more than a “regular” similar speced phone. I have been following Fairphone for a long time now, hearing about it through fair trade Internet searches.
If you would like to know my demographics, I am a 28 year old male vegan living in Melbourne, Australia. I look for fair trade, Australian made (or not Chinese made) options. I try to buy/do things that are good for the environment, good for people and good for animals.
Hi,
I’m not using Ubuntu or am a community member, but i’m using linux as OS. I just think that it is a good chance to combine the fairphone with a free open source project like ubuntu. I believe at the idea behind ubuntu, like i believe at the idea behind FP.
I’m a proud user of the second FP.
I’m a believer to Fairphone, so I wouldn’t buy another Phone, because its price.
I don’t heard about some ubuntu posts from FP. I heard seperately from ubuntu phone and FP.
So it would be great, if there is a ubuntu version for the FP.
Thanks for your replies!
I think this is still an important goal, but i remember Alan Pope from Ubuntu saying in the latest Ubuntu Community Hour (ubuntuonair.com) that “convergence” is not yet completely ready! However, i think this is a great idea. And for simple image editing, browsing, office work and mailing it would be great to simply plug the hdmi cable, add bluetooth mouse/keyboard and you have a ergonomic device. Given some phones already come with 1920x1080+ resolution, there will soon be enough power in a decent smartphone.
How did you hear about the Fairphone? I was in Melbourne for a week in 2011. Great city, i really liked it there! Hope the Fairphone will make it to Australia someday!
Great! I to see there is a certain overlap in Fairphone’s and Ubuntus (but also Firefox OS or Jolla) goals. Each of these alternative has somethink unique, like maturity and industrie backing as well as more released devices and marketshare compared to the others (Firefox OS), a great story of convergence and unique approach to apps ( Ubuntu Phone with its Scopes) or a very beautiful ui and Android compability layer (Sailfish).
Using Ubuntu on my PhonePC, i currently think of Ubuntu as most interesting.
There are pro’s and con’s for every possible OS (and there are many, mostly based on the linux kernel). Fairphone can likely only support a single OS and that’s probably Android (the one from Google) because most people know it and it will enlarge the potential customer amount. What FP really can do for us is to include a bootloader which can easily be enhanced to multiboot different OSes, e.g. by some kind of bootmenu + the ability to boot different kernels/images. This would add another unique feature to the device thus increasing the amount and freedom of potential buyers.
Support for all these alternative OSes can only come from the community itself (or in case of Ubuntu maybe also from Canonical). Of course, this would also require documentation of the machine (the board) itself (as I expressed before in this thread), so the needed kernel/OS changes can be done by everyone who knows how.
Have the Fairphone developers taken on official stance on this topic? Or does the issue rest solely on MediaTek’s shoulders and there’s nothing the developers can do?
I love the phone but find it very frustrating and frankly incoherent (wasn’t the idea full ownership, inside and out?) to not be able to update or install whatever OS I want.
I remember a somewhat pessimistic statement from @keesj in this Forum regarding Android updates? And then there is this blog post: http://www.fairphone.com/2014/12/09/our-approach-to-software-and-ongoing-support-for-the-first-fairphones/
That’s a shame, the (theoretical) open-source support was one of the main selling points for me. I hope at least future talks with MediaTek yield some result, if not, they should choose another vendor for an eventual FP2.
