Ubuntu Touch OTA-18 Released - Still Using Ubuntu 16.04, 20.04 Migration Ongoing

[Vistaus]

Seems self defeating to me. If you are going to run Android applications then your system will just be an inferior version of Android.

You're right: that's exactly why Wine is so impopular… oh wait.

Some people have a few (free/paid) Android apps they *must* use, but don't want Android's clunky Os with its terrible design. UT is very, very easy to use and much better to navigate, so for a few apps it would be nice to have Anbox. Just like I'm happy with Wine on my laptop for the one Windows app I do use.

[krzyzowiec]

You're right: that's exactly why Wine is so impopular… oh wait.

Some people have a few (free/paid) Android apps they *must* use, but don't want Android's clunky Os with its terrible design. UT is very, very easy to use and much better to navigate, so for a few apps it would be nice to have Anbox. Just like I'm happy with Wine on my laptop for the one Windows app I do use.

I expected the wine comparisons, but that's ridiculous. Wine is for extremely specialized software, like one off games or photo editing suites. Is wine used to run all the basic applications for your operating system? Obviously not, because in that case I would again question why you are even running Linux. If you are going to use nothing but Windows applications, then you may as well use the platform they were built to run on.

Some people have a few (free/paid) Android apps they *must* use, but don't want Android's clunky Os with its terrible design.

I get it for a highly specialized desktop application, but what kind of mobile application must you use? None of them are complex enough to be that special.

[krzyzowiec]

Some people have paid-for Android applications they'd like to run in other places and those paid-for apps are the limiting factor in changing operating systems. It's no different than Linux and Proton/Wine. The majority of people won't leave Windows if they can't bring along their programs; mobile platforms are no different.

I have some games, astronomy apps, and PowerAmp that basically keeps me on Android. Being able to do that on Not-Android is a godsend. I simply don't trust Android or the Play Framework anymore.

Maybe for a game or astronomy app I can understand wanting compatibility, but if that's what's keeping you on Android then I have to question why you would switch from Android. Can't you just use LineageOS or GrapheneOS? There is no reason you have to use the Play Store.

[skeevy420]

Maybe for a game or astronomy app I can understand wanting compatibility, but if that's what's keeping you on Android then I have to question why you would switch from Android. Can't you just use LineageOS or GrapheneOS? There is no reason you have to use the Play Store.

That requires voiding the warranty. Ask me that again in 12 months when the manufacturer warranty is up.

[Vistaus]

Maybe for a game or astronomy app I can understand wanting compatibility, but if that's what's keeping you on Android then I have to question why you would switch from Android. Can't you just use LineageOS or GrapheneOS? There is no reason you have to use the Play Store.

1 If your device still has warranty, then your warranty will be void (unless you're using a Volla Phone or Planet device);
2 UT has a different interface. If you like the interface better than Android but still need a few Android apps, then why stay on Android if you don't like the interface and Anbox works for you?

[Vistaus]

I get it for a highly specialized desktop application, but what kind of mobile application must you use? None of them are complex enough to be that special.

My local supermarket has an app which I must use in order to benefit from products on sale. They don't have plastic cards nor a web app nor any way to get around the app. So yeah, for that one app, Anbox is great. This way I can still enjoy the easy interface that UT provides me (I hate Android's annoying, distracting, cumbersome interface!) while not losing access to the one Android app I actually do use.

[chriswyatt]

If you don't need Anbox, don't install it. It's as simple as that. It's community software; there is demand to run Android applications; therefore there are people working on that functionality.

I don't understand why anyone would moan about a feature that they don't want to use? I'm using it to run WhatsApp, because right now there isn't an open source alternative, so running it in an Android emulator will have to do. Ideally everyone would move to a decent chat platform, but until that happens I need to use it in an emulator.

If I wanted to run lots of Android apps, maybe Android would be a better option for me, but I personally find Ubuntu Touch works well for my basic needs. I did used to have an Android phone, and I got fed up with it, and actually went back to a Nokia-style phone for quite a long time, so Ubuntu Touch is actually an upgrade from the phone I had before it!

I just found Android too noisy and I felt like I wasn't in control. I moved to Ubuntu Touch for quite a lot of reasons, and this was one of them.