Displaying items by tag: Ubuntu Phone

After the demise of the Ubuntu Phone, Linux users appear to be placing their hopes for a mobile device on the Librem 5, a smartphone that managed to raise much more than it asked for in a crowd-funding drive. The company behind it, Purism, has said that it hopes to have phones ready next year.

San Francisco-based computer manufacturer Purism has exceeded its target of raising US$1.5 million to build the world's first smartphone based on free software. It will be known as the Librem 5.

A developer who worked with the Ubuntu Phone project has outlined the reasons for its failure, painting a picture of confusion, poor communication and lack of technical and marketing foresight.

Security updates for the Ubuntu phone will end in June, and the app store that caters to the users of this device will shut its doors by the end of the year.

Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth has announced that the company will be stopping the development of its phones and tablets, and reverting back to the GNOME desktop for its Linux distribution.

Ubuntu phone users will be stuck with their current firmware for a while as the company has no plans to issue another over-the-air update until it switches package formats, according to Pat McGowan, an employee of Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu.

Developers of the Ubuntu Phone operating system should get their act in order and start making one of the most basic features required for a smartphone work without constant manual intervention.

Phones that run Canonical's Ubuntu Phone operating system have been around for more than a year but given that they appear to be predominantly aimed at European markets, they are a rare sight in Australia.