I think the bit that worries me most about this is the effect on the community.

The device is... a device. the definition of 'obsolete' in technology is 'ten minutes after you opened the box' so I didn't expect the n900 to have updates forever. It will still work!

But the community here is something that has become very important to me, and I'm concerned that this will impact it in unhelpful ways. A quick look at the the comparisons set out by Qgil here suggests that Maemo has a much more active, communicative volunteer community, comprising not only developers and technical people but enthusiasts and end-users (like me).

I find myself asking things like "why were we allowed to go on discussion a maemo.org mascot when people must have known maemo had a limited shelf life?" (I won't mention that I'm knitting an obsolete scarf!) which is something about this being sprung on a good community without any warning. Then there's "What will happen to the council?" - will the community still need dedicated representatives to cement the bond between professionals and volunteers? What shape will the community have? Will end-users still be wanted around here?

And what will become of t.m.o.? Moblin has nothing remotely like it - will it too become obsolete?

A lot of people have put a great deal of effort into building a community here, including council members past and present. I don't want to see all that good work lost in some Grand Scheme.

Of course, that all sounds very negative. I'm not. I'm just airing my anxieties to make sure that some of the best bits of maemo.org (of which the comunty is one, IMNSHO) don't get lost in the marriage.

Edit - on a personal note, I dislike the name. Smacks of the worst sort of egocentricity. I rather hope the Open Source sommunity is about something other than Me and My Ego.