The latest development release of Ubuntu Touch, the open source operating system from Canonical for smartphones and tablets, suggests the platform may soon be ready for the market.
Canonical still hasn't finished "converging" Ubuntu Linux across PCs, servers, phones and tablets, but it's now closer than ever with a new development release of Ubuntu Touch, which partners Meizu and Bq are using to build the open source mobile devices that should appear in the new year.
On Nov. 10, Canonical developers announced the release of version 10 of Ubuntu RTM. That's the software Canonical's hardware partners are using to test Ubuntu as they prepare mobile devices based on the operating system for the market.
The disappointing news for Ubuntu mobile fans is that the latest development release supports only Nexus 4 tablets, so unless you own one of those, you won't get to see Ubuntu at work on mobile devices yet. And the release remains subject to a number of major bugs, which Ubuntu developers are working to fix.
Still, the release is notable because it follows a focus by Ubuntu Touch developers on testing and stability. Instead of adding new features, the developers are mostly now working to make Ubuntu Touch ready for prime time, which is a good sign that the software will finally be ready for consumers soon.
That will be a big deal, since it will mark the culmination of a long process, which now dates back almost two years, by Canonical to "converge" Ubuntu across all types of devices. Making the operating system work as well on mobile phones as it does on PCs and servers has clearly not been a simple proposition, but despite facing some skepticism early-on (including, ahem, by us here at The VAR Guy), the company just may pull off what, so far, only much larger companies (namely, Microsoft and Apple) have done by building an operating system that can power a wide range of hardware devices.
News By : Thevarguy.com
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