Canonical has been buzzing in our ears about Ubuntu as a mobile device operating system for a while now. We've seen them tout integrating a solution into Android for a year, and before that they had plans for their own mobile version of Ubuntu that more than a few Linux geeks were following. Today they came full circle and showed off a native OS on an Android phone, getting some of us pumped for the "next big thing." But with yet another announcement without a single flashable image, will Ubuntu OS even have a chance? Let's discuss the pros and cons, and see why 2014 might be too late for any success for Canonical. Read on.



Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth explains Ubuntu's mobile strategy Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth explains Ubuntu's mobile strategy Watch the video above. It's an interesting 20 minutes, where we hear about Ubuntu's big industry partners on the desktop space, how the software has evolved and is praised by the computing industry, and how Ubuntu is going to be the first platform to offer full convergence on all your devices. It's going to be the future, and this is going to change everything. Verizon is offering the Pixel 4a for just $10/mo on new Unlimited lines There are two major issues and roadblocks to keep this convergence from happening. Canonical has done a marvelous job making Linux into something that is easy to use, and more important easy to configure. Anyone who cares enough to follow the progress of the various Linux distributions has to agree that Ubuntu has moved Linux forward more in the past couple years than anyone who came before them. But success on the desktop -- even limited success -- does not directly translate to success in mobile. See Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 for a prime example. You need industry backing, and the right timing. Partners The first issue the folks behind Ubuntu need to handle is how the carriers are going to feel about a mobile OS that's really open. Carriers hate the fact that you can unlock your Android phone and install unauthorized software on them. I've been told exactly that from folks high enough on the carrier food chain to make me believe it is true. Makes sense, because a large portion of what we call Android hacking is geared towards having something your carrier does not want you to have. Ubuntu, in its current state, is completely free and open. Every portion of the OS is open-source, and they take pride in that fact. Verizon and AT&T simply won't allow this to happen, and Canonical is already talking about Ubuntu being "tailored for your brand" for OEMs and operators. I'm afraid that this means the Ubuntu phone is going to have to eschew the "open" philosophy that Canonical loves so much. If they don't, the phone is dead-on-arrival because it has no support from existing partners in the mobile industry. We don't know how the two sides are going to meet in the middle, but we know it has to happen. Canonical isn't very likely to sit back and let Verizon dictate when a phone can be updated with a patch to fix a kernel vulnerability, and Verizon or AT&T isn't going to allow anything remotely like "sudo apt-get install free-wireless-tethering" to happen on their network. And make no mistake -- success in the U.S. means success on Verizon and AT&T. So don't bet on the carriers to pick this up. Timing