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Does anybody know if Ubuntu for Android will, most critically, run also when the phone is not docked? Any references will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

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1 Answer

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From the Ubuntu for Android Features page:

Ubuntu and Android share the same kernel. When docked, the Ubuntu OS boots and runs concurrently with Android. This allows both mobile and desktop functionality to co-exist in different runtimes.

Shared services and applications are delivered using a Convergence API module which ensures the tight integration between desktop and mobile environments. Work is balanced across the cores of the phone. When the handset is not docked, both CPU cores transfer their full power to Android.

So the desktop session stops running when you undock the handset.

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I have marked your answer as correct, though I'm hoping you are wrong in the long run... I can't understand why Canonical will not allow enabling Ubuntu while undocked. Clearly the user would understand that Android would not be able to use "full CPU power" during those sessions. – eze Mar 1 '12 at 13:50
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Well, it is all running on the same kernel, so my reading of the web page is that "CPU cores transfer their full power to Android" in the same way that logging out of an Ubuntu desktop system makes the processing power/memory available to other tasks on the system. As the point of this product is to offer a desktop experience running from your phone, I'm not sure what parts you'd want to keep running when not docked. – James Henstridge Mar 1 '12 at 14:17
I, for one, would be happpy just to have Ubuntu's bash and apt-get =). Say, apt-get install curl whois tcpdump ipython, etc. Not that I would use them very often on the phone, but it would be great to have this possibility, let alone knowing that little box can do it! – eze Mar 2 '12 at 2:30
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Well, there are terminal emulators available for Android. Presumably you'd be able to run the version of Bash from the Ubuntu install from there. What I'm not sure about is whether you'd be able to break out of the jail Android runs applications in. – James Henstridge Mar 2 '12 at 10:13
Thank you for your insightful comments! I enjoyed them greatly. Let's hope we can learn more about this soon. – eze Mar 3 '12 at 2:31

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