Actually I think there is a side to this story that you guys may have overlooked, which is that the n900 is being bought up by the average consumer, and offered for very little on many carriers, especially in europe.

This isn't going to be the same demographic as the N8xx devices. I'm guessing 90% of people who buy this device aren't going to have a clue what compiling source even is, let alone where to find open source apps.