This is the most stable branch of Ubuntu Touch

Oct 21, 2014 07:46 GMT  ·  By

A new Ubuntu Touch RTM update has been released by Canonical and it makes the operating system a lot more stable and snappier, among other changes.

Ubuntu developers had some minor problems in the week before with all sorts of bugs that were popping out. They postponed the release of a new update for the Ubuntu Touch RTM and, at one point, they even got everyone to focus on fixing the problems and nothing else. Now they have a new version out and progress really shows.

Users who already have Ubuntu Touch on their phones might have noticed that the number of features added to the system have diminished drastically, but that's the way it should be. The system is getting closer to its final stages and there is little reason to add new options now. The current form of the OS is not very far from the official release, so only fixes remain to be made.

Ubuntu Touch RTM is getting much more stable

Despite the fact that the branch is named RTM (release to manufacturing), the operating system is not there yet. The devs are working to get a good and stable final release that can be labeled RTM, but for now they are still fixing bugs.

"We have a promotion! After this really intense week, we were able to achieve our goal of a high-quality image for ubuntu-rtm. It took longer then expected, mostly because we had a big list of critical issues that we wanted to have landed before that, but finally here it is: image #5 in the ubuntu-rtm/14.09 channel!"

"This also means we will be unblocking landings through the CI Train now. Please remember that so late in the cycle we should anyway concentrate only on fixes for Ubuntu Touch, so do not expect any extra features. Next week we will also put some more pressure on autopilot tests, as there are even more issues seen now. Automation seems to have fallen in quality in overall, so let's get it back to green," says Canonical's Łukasz Zemczak.

Many changes and improvements have been made for this release of Ubuntu Touch, but a couple stand out. QML pre-complication support has been added to the system, which will directly translate to a much better performance and response from the interface. Apps should be quicker to respond and the overall snappiness of the system should be noticeably better.

The second change is more of a visual one. Since the announcement regarding the Ubuntu Touch system that was made two years ago, the system indicators in the top bar have changed very little. Now, the devs have modified them quite a bit and that can be seen when dragging on the top bar to open them.

How to get the latest Ubuntu Touch RTM

First of all, there are only a couple of officially supported devices for Ubuntu Touch, namely the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7. On the other hand, some people are also using the Nexus 5, although it seems to have a couple of issues. Therefore, if you have one of these devices, there are a couple of ways to install the OS. You can either replace Android or you can dual boot.

Canonical provides a fairly comprehensive wiki on how to install Ubuntu Touch from scratch, and we have a tutorial in place to teach you how to dual boot with Android. Neither of the methods is difficult, so testing the OS should be straightforward.

Ubuntu Touch RTM (4 Images)

Main desktop for Ubuntu Touch
New indicators in Ubuntu TouchNew indicators in Ubuntu Touch
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