Kathy, yes, sci-fi does seem to be on a par with gadgets as a magnet for people who take these things too seriously.

I should stress that I'm not just talking about Maemo-bashers, but the entire attitude of thinking that we have to take sides. Practically every gadget I've ever used has had at least something that other gadgets can learn from, but "haters" want us to completely disown whatever it is they hate.

If we start dismissing a device purely to make our own favourite look good, we're going to miss out on potential improvements. Really we should look at device variety as a good thing because it provides a constant flow of new ideas. And if you look at what professionals say in interviews, it's pretty much the same thing: they welcome newcomers in a market because it provides everyone with a new perspective on how to do things.

It's only the fans, marketers and media that turn this into something bitter, but the actual developers and engineers just want to do the best they can. If we're serious about the community helping to create a better platform, then we need to be more like the engineers/developers and less like the fans/marketers.

The other thing is, different people have different needs, tastes and budgets. There is never ever going to be a single device that suits everyone. Some people on here fail to recognise this diversity of needs.