So the question, then, is... why isn't Nokia writing open-source applications from the start (or writing new, or getting open-sourced apps and using them) on these devices, so as to avoid the whole problem altogether? Why does Nokia feel the need to obligate users to use closed-source software, even the ones written by Nokia themselves, on a platform being sold on the benefits of being "open-source"?

100%? How about at least 95%? 90% even? Why does more or less than around half of the firmware image have to come with so much closed-source? To the results, how badly is Red Hat doing? IBM? Hell.. zLinux is 100% open-source that runs on IBM mainframes when they sell their hardware and it's doing pretty well, last time I checked. Novell isn't doing too shabby with SuSE either. They should broaden their scope and look again and how it CAN be done, instead of looking only at handset manufacturers and how they did things wrong.

Mind you--these are server Linux support licenses but they're giving away their distributions of software for free and open-source, with little to no closed-source. Wouldn't Nokia rather sell these devices with a world-class, enterprise capable level of support and maintain customer loyalty to profit from what is essentially a free software product along with their hardware? Nokia's view seems far too narrow and myopic to think of how they could difference themselves from old-school cell phone hardware manufacturer thinking.

My two cents.