Let's recap this story from an end user point of view.

On the MeeGo & open source software part:

- When it comes to apps, if they rely on the official MeeGo API (basically Web Runtime & Qt) they should run seamlessly across versions or they could be easily updatable even automatically through the MeeGo community OBS.

- When it comes to the UX, if it's sitting entirely on top of Qt then the evolution path is also clear. Graphics performance might become a problem at some point but there are possible compromises.

- When it comes to the OS & middleware, the bottleneck is the hardware adaptation and its way forward. Your situation will depend on the hardware architecture of your device. In the ARM side http://www.linaro.org/ should be helpful if the project succeeds.

On the vendor & commercial side:

- When it comes to 3rd party apps, the MeeGo SDK and OBS infrastructure should make it easy for them to provide updates even for the "legacy" platforms. Most of these commercial developers rely on number of users using their apps, so probably they have an interest in getting the biggest userbase possible if that brings more revenue.

- When it comes to vendors apps I can only speak on behalf of Nokia, reminding the fair play pact allowing the community to play around in Nokia binaries as long as they stay in Nokia hardware. It's not my job to comment on official Nokia updates and releases of closed components.

- Same goes for UX/OS vendor customizations. The advantage for end users in the MeeGo context is the choice among different vendors. If Vendor X left you unhappy for whatever reason then you can go for Vendor Y or Z and still get most of the MeeGo 3rd party apps and user experience you are familiar with. Hopefully this intra-MeeGo competition will lead to a better base platform and better end products.

It is clear that MeeGo vendors will understand that either this game works well or end user will jump to other platforms.