Oh I agree, the common misconception that Alien Dalvik is coming, isn't healthy.
I've constantly pointed out that it's far from certain, & if anything it's not coming.

I agree 100% that MeeGo must stand on it's own feet...
Long before looking at 3rd party apps, individuals will asses whether it has all the inbuilt functionality they want.
If it doesn't, they'll look to 3rd party apps to have their remaining demands met, or they'll look-to/stick-with other OS's (most will do the latter).

There's a real risk that...
[Despite all of Harmattan's inbuilt functionality -which I suspect will be amazing overall]
There just won't be enough of the right things there for a large subset of users.
And that subset won't be satiated by MeeGo's tiny (but growing) repository of quality 3rd-party apps.

This is where Alien Dalvik can play a critical role...
In instances where there's just one or two things not built-in, or available from the community in a reasonable time...
Users who must have that functionality, can turn to the Android apps repository.
Don't dismiss such instances as rare, it can potentially amount to a large group, of which many are influential/power-users.

Also I suspect you misunderstand how Alien Dalvik works.
It doesn't do anything WRT "enhancing/changing the UI, so that it looks like a new OS".

Finally I don't agree with the assertion some make that:
"Providing users w/a choice to buy an app/service that allows them to use Android apps, will be harmful to native app uptake/development."
If anything, I think it's more likely to spur native app development, than hold it back.

In response to BwackNinja & others claims that it mustn't happen, I've wanted to argue the case for AD, for ages.
But as I know it's very unlikely to happen, it's been way down the priority list TBH.
Hopefully I'll have time to do that in a dedicated thread at the MeeGo forum soon.

It's not like it's a totally off-topic thing to discuss in this thread...
Unlike some of the debates others seemingly want to perpetuate...
It relates directly to potential functionality/usability, not how screwed\blessed N9/MeeGo/Nokia et al is.
But I do concede it's still a bit too contentious, not to mention hypothetical, given it prolly won't happen.
And thus likely to add even more 'noise' to an already noisy thread.

Then again I do advise others that aren't aware...
It was agreed much earlier in this thread (for our own sanity), that this thread would be for general discussion.
And others like this, can focus on newly identified hardware/software features, or other community developments.
So in this thread pretty-much anything goes, not that you have to like that!

Excellent point & well conveyed...
That's primarily what I've been trying to argue from the outset.
The final knowing will be in the using, and it'll be quite unique to everyone.
There's no way we can possibly bag or praise it outright.
Until we've actually used it for a while.