I wrote this about a week ago and was just going to post it and the thread i was going to post it to was closed down so i saved it and knew it would be usefull for a rainy day. It has similarities with what ddiscodave said but its just my take on things:-




' I'm no coder,porter or programmer i even thought linux was a character out of LOST CLICK HERE.

BUT......

i have learnt very basic skills just running through these threads following and trying to actively get involved in many projects of interest to me in which i am picking things up quite well (albeit a little slowly) and that is all down to the devs and the non-devs who all have more knowledge of this platform than i have and have given there time and know-how in helping me understand all this a little better and i appreciate this alot.

This place has brought people together from all over the world from helping each other out to just chatting about day to day things and generally it is mainly about an operating system and a phone/tablet.The N900 is not for everyone and sometimes it takes a brave person to take the plunge and purchase something they don't understand, some hate it straight away because its not a polished item and expected more and then there are others who embrace it and understand that with a little know-how and patience they can get their tablet/phone up to a standard of features and usage that they will be happy with and accept and still know that newer and better application are just around the corner.
I am one of those many people who are happy with the N900. Is it because it's my 1st open source tablet/phone and i'm still in 'the honeymoon period' with the phone because i can do what i want with it...who knows,
but coming from symbian to maemo was a risk and i am so glad that i took it and an added bonus is becoming a part of this community.

People are right nokia could and should have backed the phone alot more than what they have.
but hey thats the way it is, so look at this website and take a long look at all the applications that have been created and ported to the N900 from all the developers and porters who work in there own time to help get our tablets to a good standard of usability and quality that we should accept.
This community should give themselves a large pat on the back in recognition to where we are at and what we have achieved all by ourselves.

Well done '