i'm pretty positive that maemo will develop like android did, app-wise.

I hope it does, not the stupid apps, but the useful ones.

Some points of comparison. Im comparing my G1 to the N900.
Multi-tasking
Has multi-tasking but when you switch between apps you have to wait for web pages to load. When on the N900 you can switch between apps and no loading at all.
Browsing
N900 browser is beautiful, renders everything perfect and the flash is awesome. The only thing that I think the android browser does better is fit the text. I know about the re flow but it doesn't work every time.
Media
Video support is far superior on the N900 than on the G1. The audio quality is about the same. Media players have about the same functionality.
Email
Both of them have about the same functionality.
Phone
No big difference.
Apps
Obviously the G1 has more but im not worried about that.
Quick settings.
I love how easy it is to access the WIFI/bluetooth/etc on the N900.
On the G1/android you either have widgets or you have to go through the settings.

One thing is do really miss is using my phone with one hand. I miss portrait mode. But I am excited to see the N900 get some portrait support.

sorry for my ignorance, i thought the first phone under android was the G1 phone? Wasn't that just released this year?

Nope. Q3 2008. So Android is a bit older than a year...

Of course the G1 ran Android 1 and the current OS is Android 2. So if you are making Maemo comparisons, Maemo 4 came out with the N810 in November 2007.

Unfortunately, the changes needed to allow apps developed under the older OS to run under the new OS seem to be more difficult with Maemo.

Android is of course going to become more popular because the app is released by google. They rule this internet world.

G1 October 08...just over a year. almost 20k apps. Some really great apps some trash just like all software development for any environment. Maemo out of the box to me feels far tighter and much more powerful then when I first received my G1. That isn't suprising to me since Maemo has been around for a while while Android was just but a glimmer in Googles eye.

good one

OTOH, the same prediction was made for Windows Mobile (or, at least, its predecessors) because of Microsoft's dominance.

I don't know. Android had the promise of being used on many phones by multiple manufacturers. Maemo is Nokia-only for the foreseeable future.