The problem is the hobbling and crippling for two years. Why did I buy something I was told was based on open-source (and I remember the tagline being marched out repeatedly by Nokia was "future proof because it's based on open-source") but then the gotchas are that just about every driver was closed and even some of the included applications. You only find out that it's PORTIONS of the system are open-source after you've already purchased and you read the ABOUT dialog or the paper documentation inside the box... but the promises of EVENTUALLY getting open-sourced drivers hangs some of us in there.. two years later we're only JUST being told that maybe we'll get the crippled video driver opened up.

I appreciate the opening up. I can not appreciate the distant amount of time it took to do so. Basically, the argument that this was the "right time" reads to me as "now that nobody wants that hardware anymore because we have these NEW chipsets that we're also going to close-source the drivers for..."

I also don't understand how it's a good business move either. I'm MORE likely to keep my old hardware now--and VERY VERY unlikely to want to buy the newer hardware... which I would LIKE to get, but the security and value and understanding of a fully open architecure is a much higher value to somebody like me, that has to configure solutions for people that are using the hardware, than the increased resources of the new hardware. The moment someone else DOES come out with a NEW piece of more open hardware, you KNOW I will pounce on it and so will the people I support and talk to.

Really, this is great news. It's just bittersweet news. I can't get TOO excited. It's like being told to be thankful you're getting table scraps. If you're hungry enough, there's no reason not to be thankful but... really? Is that the way to treat people who're ready to open their wallet to you?