Re: Briefly tried an N900!
 

Hey, I see what you are saying. There is a bit of that concept, but there is also an objective element that links a valuable product with high expectations, not just for what others will say, but because that´s the way it should be, right?

As for the article about ubuntu, I agree partially, but I don´t agree it´s rubbish. I think that´s what makes each year the "year of the Linux desktop"... How long has that been going on? Forever, right?...

And yeah, I already said that probably my feeling on performance was misleading just based in those few minutes. I am glad those demos look fast... I really want to buy the N900 bad!!

Re: Briefly tried an N900!
 

actually, it's a XNU hybrid kernel with elements of the FreeBSD kernel. so, there's more BSD in osx than just a compatibility layer and some userland - the network stack for example.

Re: Briefly tried an N900!
 

I do not know here. Sometimes, impressions can be based on wrong assumptions- such as the actual OP of this thread.

I took time to read it, based on the "powder keg" responses since the post. Playing devils' advocate here, what if the OP had a more insidious intent- not to post impressions, but to just stir stuff up?

For such a brief post, the OP has very specific points to light a "powder keg". Especially as more time passes, doubt creeps in for some and the N900....

Just a thought and meant in no way to impugn the OP. :) Am I being insidious now? That would be ironic. ;) :)

Re: Briefly tried an N900!
 

Well, if you go there, no matter how hard I claim I actually tried it, you can always say I have second intentions, easy trick...

Anyways, I know it's true, and if there are doubts about the N900 is surely not because a comment like mine. It probably is because many people are anxious to get it, like myself, and certain "question marks" about it are becoming "dark spots"... For example, why the delays? Why isn't there a clear release date? If the N900 is more a computer than a phone, why isn't there a clear upgrade path planned to Maemo6?...

Like I am saying, I plan to buy it when it is available, but given the situation, I am not going to buy it right then, but after I read some reviews and find if the noise is as good as it should be.

Re: Briefly tried an N900!
 

The other thing I find odd is that only a handful (10 or so) (pre)reviews are available. 300 folks got a unit and less than 5% want to share their opinion about it?

Especially the 300 are considered enthusiasts I find it a little odd. Could Nokia have picked the 300 most introverted anti-social developers on earth?

Re: Briefly tried an N900!
 

I used the N900 in the NY store more than a month ago, it was very old firmware.

That said I simply loved it, Extremely easy for the new comer to learn and puts it in the same league or better in terms of usability as the Palm Pre, Iphone etc. Its much better than Android.

There was many tweaks needed though, with some apps etc, but it was awesome!

Re: Briefly tried an N900!
 

I think you're right that those first few minutes (seconds even?) matter a lot, as far as mass market appeal and sales go. This is what the iPhone excels at. Especially when it first came out. People had never seen anything like flick of the finger kinetic scrolling before and it blew their minds. Steve Jobs said as much at the conference where he introduced the device; all he had to do was show people the scrolling and they were sold.

That said, I think there's also a downside to this kind of appeal. It plays to the lowest common denominator. The iPhone is slick and easy to pick up and full of eye candy. But it's also a very limited device (no multi-tasking, Big Brother watching over the app store, very slow to provide obvious features like flash support, MMS, and cut and paste, limited user ability to customize the device). Apple tends to favor, I think, the appearance of user friendliness over actual long term usability. OS X is the same. It looks nice and friendly and inviting, in an almost childish way, but using it (at least for me) sucks. Keyboard commands are not very systematic across the whole platform, the file browser is the worst most overly simplistic of all file browsers, the whole concept that the program must be quit separately from closing the window is ridiculous (my parents pretty much always have every program they've ever opened running on their iMac, grinding it to a halt, until I visit and close some, because there is absolutely zero that is intuitive for them about the idea that closing the window does not quit the program).

I think you have to balance a platform that is inviting and appealing right off the bat, with gently pushing people into a little bit of a learning curve, so they can have a better long term experience. People aren't idiots and they will learn, if you make the process for them gentle and not too annoying. I feel good about what I've seen in Maemo 5 so far. Maybe the potential of the design won't be fully realized until Maemo 6. But I feel Nokia and Gnome are heading in a good direction.

Re: Briefly tried an N900!
 

Agree 100%. There has to be a balance, as it is impossible that a very advanced and complex tool can be used with just a few simple commands. If there are many things to do, there are many things to learn, and I find it good that way.

However, most users will barely scratch the surface of what an N900 is capable of doing. Lots of them will have a very advanced device and use it solely for calling and social networking. It is that piece though that Nokia needs to nail and make available in an easy and atractive way. Then most users will be happy with their phones and they can leave us freaks to dive deep.

Surprising stuff about Mac OS you mention there. I had no idea that was the case with applications... I am guessing that also happens because the computer is never shut down, right? I would guess Mac would close all apps on shutdown?

Re: Briefly tried an N900!
 

Well XNU is based primarily on Mach, but I'll take your point that there's a bit more BSD than just the POSIX compatibility layer. It's still far from a 'BSD kernel' as it's often touted.

Re: Briefly tried an N900!
 

The 300 devices given out were given to attendees at the Nokia summit which (AFAIK) is not an event aimed at bloggers and journos. I would imagine that the vast majority of people with devices are programmers (both community and commercial), engineers, managers or network people etc etc. Some of the people there would have gone for the non n900 content of the event. So only a small minority of the attendees would be of the type to immediately blog or write about the device or feel the need to do so.