What I was trying to say is that we didn't have those 3rd party toolkits/libraries/environments on the Maemo/MeeGo series due to the insignificant user base (in the grand scheme of things; I do think that one could still earn some sweet cash even on the N9 with some `killer app`), WP7.x didn't have those not only because it's, at this point, insignificant but because the platform couldn't handle them, at least not in a way that would not break or limit the rest of those 3rd party environments if they want to keep the consistency across platforms.

WP8, on the other hand, will most probably get them not only because it can support them (native code and all that jazz), but because Microsoft, unlike Nokia, ain't shy to throw money at their projects so the 3rd party providers of those environments can get a strong fiscal incentive to make them available for the WP8 as well. Microsoft forced the Xbox in the market by shear money throwing, why would it be different with WP - the fact that their user base is atm. pretty insignificant won't stop Microsoft from pushing.

Actually, the very fact they have an infinitesimal user base allowed them to do this bait-and-switch with their system now - most of the current WP users chose WP specifically either from the love of the UI (whaaat? people have the right to have no taste at all :P) or Microsoft (they also have the right to be irrational) so they are far more forgiving than the general population. Nokia didn't have that luxury with their quite significant user base, which is why they are now in the dire straits.

Anyway, back to the point - existing WP7.x users got royally screwed as the WP8 will get all those things that WP7.x cannot support, so quite a lot of new apps (especially games) will not work on the old devices. I just find it hilarious for some people to rationalize that with hardware differences - it's not as if the WP7 couldn't run native if allowed to (I'm pretty sure that IE was not written in .NET), it's just that Microsoft can't be bothered with that. With the N9 (and the N900 prior to that) we at least knew our devices were DOA, but we relied on their openness and the respectable community to at least get us some cookies; those who bought in the WP7.x won't have that luxury.