Ubuntu has an OS targeted for smart phones. After my initial excitement at the prospect of having an OS I could really nerd out on (Really hoping for a Terminal app), I realized one thing: I don't use any of Ubuntu's graphical tools.

I've used Windows, Ubuntu and Mac OS. I'm sticking with Mac for these reasons:

1. Ease of use
2. Unix-y (Terminal and most tools available)
3. Productivity tools that "just work", including Office products, iChat, Flint, etc - It's a mainstream OS

Ubuntu has always been my tool of choice for servers. I use it as a virtual machine for developing, and I use it in production, cloud-based web applications. I use Ubuntu 100% in the terminal.

In genreal, I've found Ubuntu's GUI's to be nice, but they lack two important things:

1. Polish. The OS, including design, shortcuts, app eco-system and utilities are lacking in some key areas. This may extend into the smart phone arena as well. It's a hacker's operating system, and requires some technical knowledge to modify items to where you want them to be.
2. Application support. The *nix OS eco-system is too fragmented and its user-base too small to garner support for the large often-used applications required for general productivity. Adobe, Office, iChat, etc. Open-source versions often don't cut it.

These make me wonder how well supported a phone version of Ubuntu will be. (Also, I really don't want another browser code to)

Given the context of smart phones (usually specific and limited capacity / abilities), Ubuntu may make a fantastic OS. However, like my computer OS, I like my phone to "just work" AND I want to be able to hack at it. However, those two ideas live on opposite ends of many spectrums (Security, performance, app quality).

excited about the prospect of Ubuntu for phones. Not necessarily changing from iOS, but I'd gladly explore a fully-scriptable phone.

— Fred Oliveira (@f) January 2, 2013

as in, I like how secure iOS is because it sandboxes apps. But I'd appreciate a phone for power users that lets them hack into the OSs guts.

— Fred Oliveira (@f) January 2, 2013

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Last Note:

What I'd really love is to see solved in the mobile space is the issue of infrastructure ownership. Mobile venders are obviously in collusion - All of their prices are similarly high, and there's very little differentiate between carriers. It is a true oligopoly.