Ubuntu phone users will be stuck with their current firmware for a while as the company has no plans to issue another over-the-air update until it switches package formats, according to Pat McGowan, an employee of Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu.
The last major update was OTA-14 and there have been questions aplenty as to when OTA-15 would arrive. McGowan has now answered that question.
Security updates would continue to be issued as and when needed, McGowan said in a mailing list post.
The format switch will be from the current click packaging to snap packaging, which Canonical claims is superior and easier to build and install. It is unclear whether earlier phone models which run Ubuntu Touch will be able to run the new operating system when it is released.
When the snap packaging initiative was announced, it was claimed that a single binary package would work on any Linux server, cloud, desktop or device.
It was also claimed that snap packages worked on many Linux distributions like Arch, Debian, Fedora, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu GNOME, Ubuntu Kylin, Ubuntu MATE, Ubuntu Unity, and Xubuntu. The Ubuntu phones were first released in February 2015, with the first models being somewhat underpowered. Later models like the Meizu Pro-5 have earned better reviews, as the hardware has plenty of grunt. There are several things which need to be fixed on Ubuntu Touch, the operating system used on the Ubuntu phone.
Source: http://www.itwire.com/mobility/76372-firmware-updates-for-ubuntu-phones-on-hold.html
Submitted by: Arnfried Walbrecht
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