IMHO the tablets out the box does just what there advertised to do. Most problems come about from people when trying to install 3-party software. Take Canola for example, it's not a Nokia product. So like I said out box the thing works great and I think to blame the tablets for the problems you having is a little unfair if it's 3-party software your installing.

Now as far as the 3-party stuff understand most all of it free, and anybody who has spent time with Linux knows there's still a price to pay with freeware. That price is the time and dependence hell. Linux is based on an open community and anybody with programming skills can look deep into it and tweak and change it, unlike windows. Because of this people have done just that, making many different version of Linux. This is both a good and bad thing. One good thing is it can chopped up into a pretty small OS and made to run on something like the N800. The bad thing is once you do this other Linux software might not run because the computer code needed to make the programs run is now missing (libraries/dependences). This is why when installing Linux software you end up looking for dependence files.

Another problem is sometimes people might write a librariy of code do a function, and other devoplers might use someone else libraries instead of rewritting them, then instruct you to install the other person libraries before installing there software. Yet another why you might have to look for dependence.

So, yea dependences can be pain in the A--, but over all concept of Open OS is still pretty cool, and think Nokia made a fine choice going this route.