Skipped the responses... just kind of wanted to answer the original post.

For Maemo and MeeGo communities, the best things to do would be to complete the projects that aren't, polish the headliners, and be relevant in ecosystems outside of Maemo/MeeGo (for example, has anyone here contributed a health app and service that would make open source tools the tools of trade in traditionally more closed and vertical systems).

I'd refer most people here (and at Nokia) to a piece I did at Brighthand not long after Palm's fate was just as apparent. Yes, there is a decision to eventually move on (here). Contrary to that position many had with Palm, there was no "platform in the hands of the people." There was no "current effort from another sizable IT company to forward development and implementation." They had to find a new place to go... here, there's the opportunity to show that Maemo/MeeGo is more than an experimental platform play - its one that can (if done expertly) invigorate ecosystems in the same way Firefox did for browsing, or RedHat did for severs and mainframes.

For Finland, the economy will take a hit. That part can't be avoided. What can be solved is creating opportunity for success in smaller pockets than Nokia could do in its larger state. That means looking for those opportunities to invest in companies that are startups, companies that have already moved on past just serving the "Nokian way" and started branching out (Rovio comes to mind). If you are involved in aspects of research and development, explore how the knowledge base of those who might be getting let go could become valuable for your organization. You might not be able to take the IP, but skills are worth as much, if not more, if they can be honed towards new enterprises.

What shouldn't happen is despair. There should be time to mourn. There's a season for that and it has to run its course. When its done, pick up the pants and fight a new battle. This is how culture and technology (beyond computing) has always evolved. Its not the end of the world, but it is the end of the world that many were accustomed to.

My prayers go out to the workers and investors alike. I felt that pang (as I noted in the linked article). It hurts. But, if I recall correctly, Finland was one of those nations to rise up from the effects of war and social upheaval in a fairly powerful and positive direction. I doubt that such a characteristic is easily removed from their hearts, even if efforts are made to take it from the world's stage.

Personally, I've got my own goals for seeing some aspects of Nokia's work here not go to waste. If there's a way to make it the kind of endeavor that could also be a home for exercising some great abilities of current/former Nokian workers and investors alike, I'd be glad to share a cup of cocoa and get to work.