Hi Andy,
I understand you perfectly - I had the same opinion like you, when I first got my device.
Some months after that, I got frustrated and decided to make all the neat stuff work. So I made a list of the apps, I wanted, and I researched them one by one. In the process I had to dump quite a number of apps, that just couldn't "cut the cheese" - you have to kill your darlings.
The most important step is to learn how to connect to your phone from a PC - I use "putty.exe" (putty.org) - I use Windows as my desktop.
Then you have to learn about using apt-get /dpkg for solving installation problems. And that is about it - I didn't code anything, all was ready made.
But your idea of letting other's/some service do your set up is not bad, somebody might already be offering that service

Just delve right in! Most stuff has instructions on exactly how to make it work, it's just that sometimes rather than 'open some menu, and select this option' it's 'open a terminal window and type the following'

Oh and by the way, 8 months into ownership and no sign of disappointment or jealousy of other devices..

Yeah, I guess I'm just afraid of bricking my device, and from past experience with Nokia's so-called "customer service" I don't have much faith in them helping me out if I cock something up on the phone irreparably. So, like many others, I just stick to those maemo downloads that simply require, well, just downloading! But I would like to pimp my N900 even more, so I will deffo look into those dpkg options. But only when I'm sober, or I might just regret it! haha

Never drink and mod!!

I have to give some props to Groucho here. I have had my N900 for over a year now and, though I could make a list of gripes a mile long, I still think it is great and I wouldn't trade it in for anything else on the market today. There are plenty of phones with more apps, newer hardware, better email programs, etc., but nothing that is open like this one. Sometimes I covet the cool android phones or my wife's blackberry, but I always come back to the open-ness and freedom I have with the N900.

So ignore all of the *****ing...there are many of us who share your enthusiasm.

The OP was great 7 am reading. Thank you o/

A very well written post which can answer almost all 'Why', 'When' and 'What next' posts, while we could concentrate our energy on helping all those 'How's posts.

I am glad I bought my Nokia N900, I bought it because it is the most "hacker friendly" phone you can get with modern hardware (hence OpenMoko doesn't count)

"but N900 is among the very best - hardware wise, and also software wise"
This is not true... Especially software side, Maemo is incomplete OS and thats TRUE. But i still like my N900 because you can overclock it, great keyboard, pretty good camera and internet browser etc...