Module 7: Your app and the UBports community

If you’re developing apps for Ubuntu Touch, you’re involved in a whole ecosystem and community. That’s why we’re taking a step back from programming in this module, to give you an idea of how the UBports community works and how you can fit in as an app developer.

We’ll tell you something about the history of the UBports project and Ubuntu Touch and about the communication channels the community is using. We’ll also show you where you can get help while developing your app, how you can promote your app and where you can find inspiration for app ideas.

Canonical, the developer of the popular Linux distribution Ubuntu for desktops and servers, started the Ubuntu Touch project in 2011 with the goal to run on smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs. In 2013 it released the first version of Ubuntu Touch, primarily supporting the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 phones.

In the mean time, Marius Gripsgård started the UBports community and ported Ubuntu Touch to the Fairphone 2. And when Canonical stopped the project in 2017 because it had to focus on other products, the UBports project picked up development.

2017 was also the year when the UBports Foundation was founded. It provides financial, organizational and legal support to the whole UBports community. It also serves as an independent legal entity to which community members can contribute.

Since then, a growing community kept working on the vision of an alternative Linux-based mobile operating system. By developing Ubuntu Touch apps, you’re contributing to this important vision.

Using Ubuntu Touch instead of one of the dominant mobile operating systems has a lot of advantages:

The more apps are available for Ubuntu Touch, the more people will be convinced to choose Ubuntu Touch instead of their current non-free mobile operating system. So as an Ubuntu Touch app developer, you have a very important role in the community.

So where is the UBports community active and how can you take part in it? They are everywhere! We have a lot of communication channels:

Every community has its rules and common values. Those of the UBports community are written in its code of conduct. If you want to be a part of this community, read this code of conduct thoroughly. Not as a strict rulebook, but as a guideline for your online behaviour.

Ubuntu as a philosophy is about showing humanity to one another: the word itself captures the spirit of being human.

The UBports community is a productive, happy and agile community that welcomes new ideas. We gain strength from diversity, and actively seek participation from those who enhance it.

The code of conduct exists to ensure that diverse groups collaborate to mutual advantage and enjoyment. We challenge any prejudice that jeopardizes the participation of any person in our projects.

The code of conduct also governs how we behave in public and in private whenever our project can be judged by our actions. We expect our code of conduct to be honoured by everyone who represents the project officially or informally, claims affiliation with the project, or participates directly. This also means you, as an Ubuntu Touch app developer.

So if you’re participating in the UBports community and maybe have some negative experience with someone, always be respectful. Maybe that person has made a mistake but has good intentions. Everyone in our community is learning, making mistakes, and improving every day. Please be patient and understanding. We can only stay a productive community if everyone feels comfortable.

A great way to spread the word about Ubuntu Touch and the UBports community is talking about it on events. You can also talk about the apps you’ve developed!

LWN.net has a community event calendar, tracking events of interest to people using and developing Linux and free software. They also have a deadline calendar tracking upcoming call-for-proposals deadlines for these events.

One of these interesting events is FOSDEM. Every year, thousands of developers of free and open-source software from all over the world gather at the event in Brussels, and during the COVID-19 pandemic it was organized as a virtual conference. Wait for the call for proposals for the next edition and then submit a proposal for a talk. This can even be a lightning talk, which only lasts 20 minutes.

There are many other ways to talk about Ubuntu Touch and your app. Write an article on your blog about your experiences, or talk about it on social media. Repeat your message to spread the word.

Have you created a simple app such as our shopping list app to get a feeling about Ubuntu Touch app development and do you now want to do the real stuff? Do you want to make a difference with your app, make something really useful, something valuable for the UBports community? Great!

But what if you don’t have an idea for such a killer app? We encourage you to develop an app that you’d use yourself and that you’re passionate about, because this greatly improves your motivation for working on it. However, maybe you just need a little bit of inspiration.

One source of inspiration are the app stores of other mobile platforms. Have a look at the popular apps at Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store. Do you see an app that is missing in OpenStore? Do you want to have it on Ubuntu Touch? Or if you’re still using an Android phone or an iPhone, have a look at the apps on your phone. Which ones would you like to have on Ubuntu Touch? Maybe you can try developing it?

Another source of inspiration are public APIs (application programming interfaces). In the previous module of this course we showed you how you can set up a public backend server to use in your Ubuntu Touch app. However, many services already exist and offer their data with a public API. Maybe you can write an app as a frontend on Ubuntu Touch for one of these APIs. A great list of free APIs is Public API Lists on GitHub, ordered in categories.

The best way to learn programming is by doing it. Just start developing, even when you lack the knowledge. Start small, read and reread documentation and tutorials, write some code, try it out, fix bugs, try again, read again, and bit by bit your app will grow.

But you can also learn a lot by reading someone else’s code. Luckily most Ubuntu Touch apps on OpenStore are open-source apps, so you can peek at their source code. If you visit the app’s page on the OpenStore website, you can find the link to the source code in the Info part at the bottom of the page.

You can also have a look at the source code of the UBports core apps. Getting to know how these work will probably teach you a trick or two.

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