Old people want things to stay like they were when they learned stuff: "Why use a gui media player when i can do all that from the command-line?" That might sound like an extreme example but people actually do this. Does that mean a gui is 'reinventing the wheel'? Or is it adding tires to the wheel?

Android effectively ditches linux for something new, Maemo bends as far back as it reasonably can to support the old linux 'ecosystem' along with innovating the new.

A good framework for mini-apps fills a role in that ecosystem. It does not make economic sense to go through the linux/autotools/debian/autobuilder/extras-devel/-testing/extras process for a mini-app that takes 30 minutes to write. Sure you can walk to Washington DC. But it would be wasteful to file your federal income tax that way.

Perhaps a better analogy is found in the growth of industrial technology. Early tools were primitive, and the production process was labor intensive. The results were characterised by craftsmanship and indivuality. As time went on, more and more tools became standardised and 'high level'. This lead to more efficient production, but less 'craft'.

You can still buy hand-made furniture if you want. But not many people are going to do it for free.

A hearty thanks for the UQM port, and best wishes for 2010.