Ubuntu Phone documentation
Ubuntu phone documentation
Getting started
Here you can install everything needed to get developing apps and scopes for Ubuntu.
- Start by Installing the Ubuntu SDK.
- Check out the Ubuntu installation guide for devices to install Ubuntu on a supported device.
Tip: A device is not required: you can develop and run apps and scopes using the Ubuntu emulator right in your Ubuntu desktop. For more info, see Ubuntu SDK
Pick your adventure - Apps or Scopes
Build mobile and convergent apps written using QML, HTML5 and Cordova, with access to a wide range of device and system APIs. Or create scopes, dedicated views on the homescreen to find, organize and show a variety of content types, originating on the Internet or the local device.
The Ubuntu development model
Frameworks: targeting APIs
Ubuntu applications and scopes are packaged, distributed and deployed using a
format called click packaging. A framework is a set of Ubuntu APIs an app or
scope is developed for.
When packaged, all apps and scopes must declare which API framework they are intending to use on the device.
Security and app isolation
All Ubuntu apps and scopes are confined, meaning they only have access to their own resources and are isolated from other apps and parts of the system. The developer must declare which policy groups are needed for the app or scope to function properly within the confinement rules providing security and privacy.
Learn more about security policies ›
The build environment
A build environment, or click target, will be required to develop and test an app or scope. This environment will make it possible to build the software for a different architecture if cross-compilation is required (e.g. an app that uses C++) and to run it on different devices (the desktop, a phone/tablet or the emulator). Whenever a target is required the IDE will help to configure it based on the framework and target architecture (e.g. i386 or armhf). The architecture will correspond to the test environment the developer is using and ultimately what the products are built with.
Learn more about building for different architectures ›
Testing applications on devices
As far as testing environments, the developer can choose an Ubuntu emulator, which can be x86 or armhf, or real hardware with a reference device, such as the Nexus 4 or Nexus 7. While it is possible that simple apps may work in the local desktop environment, it is only in one of these supported testing environments that the entire set of framework APIs are available. It is generally recommended that an app or scope be packaged as a click and installed to the device or emulator in order to properly test it. Again the IDE will assist with creating, validating, deploying and installing the package.