Hi, wouldn't it be better to have separate threads to discuss different topics? I'm only speaking as a Maemo & Fremantle user here. Have you used such Help in Maemo applications? I know I haven't. Even in my full GNOME desktop I have used the Help system only in few occasions after several years. The apps I use in Maemo tend to be self-explanatory. If I have questions I find the answers online. What are your experiences with Help systems in mobile devices?
In terms of text selection, Modest is more an exception than a norm because it still uses gtkhtml. So please don't make conclusions for the whole platform based on it. Let's see this from a user point of view: - The Maemo selecting behavior up to Diablo could be improved specially in scrollable areas, according to many sources e.g. this old bug. This justifies the action to change things in Fremantle, where scrolling and panning has a more important role. - The Maemo browser has a specific gesture to activate text selection. Any application using the browser engine to render its own content can benefit from its gestures at will, including text selection. - Text selection is not an issue in non-scrolling/panning areas. Developers can offer an interface where the user just needs to move his finger from beginning to end of the text selected. What cases fall out of these two categories? Developers can still offer the change from pannable to selectable areas in one click. The assumption is that this separation will make life of users easier than in Diablo and previous versions.
Let's discuss examples of real applications, please. In which ones do you expect selecting text is going to be a problem?