It's early days yet - android was like this when the first phone was released - I nearly bought one!

The applications will appear eventually it will take time.

It really depends on what Nokia has planned for the maemo platform in general.

(1) How well will Nokia support the n900 (maemo 5)? Some existing bugs will only be fixed in maemo 6 (this version will only be released on the next device).

(2) When do Nokia plan to release the next maemo device? If it within the next few months then commercial developers may wait until maemo6 is released. If we are talking near then end of the year or early next year then commercial developers may release paid apps for the n900.

(3) Maemo 5 & 6 will exist in the market. If both versions are compatible then everything is fine. If there will be incompatibilities then 2 versions may have to be released and both will need testing - "pain in the bum" and potentially expensive for a developer.

Ideally Nokia should have some kind of roadmap of where maemo is going. At least give developers an informed decision on how to approach the market.