Mysery...

They don't plan OS upgrade, and neither some platform applications compatibility, because there are, besides the "public API", some secret APIs: "Platform API" and "internal API" and the secret platform API CAN CHANGE between the releases!!!

Mysery, mysey, mysery...

From the comments in the blog you linked above:
http://blog.symbian.org/2009/03/12/i...-release-plan/

Quoting David Wood:
> (The Symbian Platform makes a commitment to preserve
> public APIs in between releases. However, we reserve
> the right to change platform APIs.)

> A device like the N95-3 has a large amount of additional
> software in it. Some of that extra software may well
> use platform APIs, as well as public APIs.
> When the operating system moves to another version,
> the platform APIs can change (although the public
> ones remain fixed).

Ludovic:
I think a blog post about the different API level (sorry if it exists already and missed it) would be welcome. To clear up things a bit. If I understand well, what you call platform API is basically a private API, right ? or could it be a staggering API, preparing for inclusion as public API in a future release but not ready ? Also very welcome would be a statement on ABI compatibility. The GNOME project is doing a great job at that so you might inspire on that.

David Wood:
There will be material about the different API categories on the forthcoming new version of http://www.symbian.org. Here’s a quick explanation in the meantime: “public” APIs are expected to be maintained between releases; “platform APIs” are available for people creating software to be built into devices or to be included in the platform itself; “internal APIs” are for use only inside a single package.

I hope so.

When the poll was started, you couldn't buy the Pre, and nobody knew what the "iPhone v3" would even be called. Only one of the items was shipping: the N97.

Right now, you can't buy an iPhone 3G S. So your "differentator" is completely bogus right now, will be true for some period starting June 19, and will almost certainly be rendered meaningless in some weeks or months when the "N900", under whatever actual designation, ships; it's only key if buying a phone in that time period is important to you.

If N900 will use OMAP 3 and N810 uses an OMAP 2, can anybody explain me why some applications will not work in Maemo 5, applications for Maemo OS 2008 (N810)? Where is the incompatibility? Processor, or the OS itself?

API breaks, so "the OS itself".

Some applications likely will. If they use new Hildon APIs (such as PannableScrollArea or AppMenu), they'll work on an N8x0 in Mer. If they stick to the current Hildon API, they'll work on both an N8x0 and Rover.

However, any apps using Clutter, OpenGL ES and so on will not work on a Maemo 4 device (lack of horsepower, no driver for accelerated 3D and APIs not present). Mer can fix one of those :-/

*) You fully paid for a physical product you fully own which contains your often very personal data. You're not in debt paying it monthly off.
*) You can resell the phone (without an ugly branded mark) any time you want.
*) You can toss the SIM card in an other phone, while using your current phone for something else. Useful in emergency situation.
*) When you want to ditch your contract the phone is yours; not partly yours, partly property of telco.
*) Some poeple have ethical issues with certain things sold together. For example, I don't like 'triple play' (tv/radio, phone, internet from 1 provider) because if they want to close you down for whatever reason (valid or not, mistakes on either side do occur) then this severely impacts your communication while previously you could use either one still. You cannot opt to leave one service because you're not happy with it either.

Or hey, just ask some current iPhone 3G users who'd like to update to iPhone 3G S...

I understand that some N900 applications with OpenGL ES will not work on N810, but will all the applications from N810 work on N900?

Most apps should work. The API is reverse compatible right? However, I am guessing that a lot will update to the new version, so yeah...

And all N900 apps "should" work under mer, but they will obviously be doing things like openGL with mesa3D (aka software rendering). So, they are not going to all work well...

There are some differences, things being dropped, replaced etc.

I just mention that except from OOo and Koffice, Maemo natively has Abiword and Gnumeric.