Hmmm...so-
being said...what are the options for continuation?
Is it doable to continue the device approach?
Hopefully this is just a setback. And not finality.

Another tack would be from the os-side...
How free can freemantle be made?
Ie. another or multiple different devices that currently exist that the platform could run on. freemantle chroot even... "easy-free"...
fremantle on the beagle has had successes I believe.( I haven't kept up on that progress.)
Is it possible to make a bigger leap and aim for freemantle pc os. ...the programs.. look and feel.(frankly...I would LOVE a Freemantle distro )

I don't think we should take for granted that specific device continuation is the end all.
Freemantle on other devices or freemantle pc-os (if either are possible) would ensure survival as easily as the neo900 was going to offer...perhaps better than just survival ....upward growth.

perhaps this post should go elsewhere...but I'm not sure...I don't want to split the topic to somewhere else since I feel it is overall the same issue....maemo survival

.
at the moment I'm just throwing ideas out there...feedback anyone?

The situation is tricky. It's hard to tell. There are some opportunities and there are some dangers.

It depends now on many factors. One of the most important is "how community will react". It might be hard to reconstruct the trust donors have put in us, and it's totally understandable. If nobody will want to take part in this project again, there is of course no reason to continue.

What can I say?
If someone really wants to, there is a Neo900 UG account that can be used to donate: http://neo900.org/donate - but we cannot promise anything right now. Maybe we'll end up refunding it again in two weeks. It's hard to tell anything for certain, only time will tell.

So if you want to support the project no matter how, just from the love of the idea, you're welcome to donate or to specify that account as a place where GDC should send its refund. Just keep in mind that anything can happen (well, anything that's reasonable - we definitely don't plan to take the money and disappear or anything shady like that. We just can't promise anything right now, including that the project won't be canceled soon in a worst-case scenario).

Such donations would help to cover some expenses of Neo900 UG, like tax advisors and lawyers. AFAIK those (on UG side) weren't covered from donations yet. Therefore some amount, even small one, residing safely on UG account could indeed be a huge help.

The only thing we can promise is that in case we actually find some solution and project proceeds successfully, we'll definitely take all donations into account in a fair way, like we always intended to do, even if technically donations are "non-refundable" now and don't promise anything in return in a legally binding way.

So...hmmm is it possible to set in the notes at the bottom of the gdc donation statement/form where the (my) cc donation should go? ie. to ug account?
or are cc donations specifically being refunded back to the credit cards?
I really didn't see an option?
If the cc donation is being auto-refunded...I'll simply wait until it is back and re-donate to ug

Well, try it. I suppose GDC will just do what you tell. Nikolaus simply didn't want to *recommend* anything, but I doubt that he won't transfer the funds if donor says that he's sure that it's really what he wants and he is aware of all consequences of that.

In my (personal) opinion everyone should just tell GDC in "add to notes" field on their order page what they want to do. So in case someone really wants to transfer their payment to Neo900 UG, even when it can't promise anything in return right now - feel free to instruct GDC to do that.

Just added a note with a question, lets see if there/what will be the answer

From all that I know (and I work in cards/banking sector) there is no such thing like auto-reversal/refund once the transaction has happened,esp several months after it has happened (simplified explanation). Ofc I am not aware of the system GDC is using, but there are lots of checks that prevent fraudulent merchants (generally speaking, not pointing at GDC) refunding money to customers.

However, lets see how this will turn out.

Isn't it better to wait for answer to my question before asking it again and again? CC case that is.

Did the attempted release to ug via " notes" as well...the moment dos1 mentioned it...if it works then ug will get (asap ...at least some ..I'm sure... much needed funds to continue with work) what remains of my cc donation.
So we'll see.

As far as I view things...
the risk and danger dos1 has mentioned is a way to look at it....
Personally I'm not put off donating to the project by whatever events have occurred thus far.
I view donating to the neo900 cause as a chain of priorities ...
primarily as an "investment in discovery" firstly...
secondly a device...
thirdly the platform...
and to have devoted guys workin' on this ...
taking alot of their own time..
I don't mind funding them at all
I see it in the long-haul as being worth it to help them out.
Hell ...look at the great stuff that has been accomplished thus far..
couldn't have happened without funding.

I want to eat choclate

i do not belive asking gdc to transfer funds directly to neo900ug is the best idea:

gdc is not willing to take on legal resposibility for the project ( a resonable position for them to take )

if we are to convince gdc to work in any way on this project in the future we need to ensure they have no legal liability in regards to the neo900 project, asking them to foward the funds puts them in a position were they could be legally liable, if we are to convice gdc to work on this again ( i belive gdc's knowelge regarding this project is very valuable and greatly increases the chance of sucess ) we need to just absorb the bank fees etc and re-donate to the neo900ug ourselves

Interesting take...
But why not state in the asking of funds to be transferred that you are absolving gdc of any future liability?

Also there is the issue of cc's if ...as freemangordon has very foresightedly () put it...it may be impossible to return said donation to donor. Not making the cc donations transferable nor returnable would be a pickle.
Let's wait and see.
I'm sure there is a way.