Seriously. These kinds of thread are so played on this forum. I wish there was a filter that would auto reject threads like this.

You need to be convinced to hang in there with this phone? Yeah priority number 1 for me. Psssh.

Also the comment about windows not having a browser for 10 years is seriously lame. I know it's trendy to poke at Microsoft, but come on let's put some perspective on that. those first 10 years the internet was archaic. Now that windows does have a internet browser they get slapped with lawsuits.

Windows regardless of the reason, is the best platform for game design, until that changes windows is my cup of tea. OPENGL can't compete with directx 's feature set, and probably never will.

2d

I have ceased considering what might be added in making purchasing decisions when it comes to Nokia products. I look at what the device does now. The previous Maemo devices were abandoned with some pretty major bugs left unfixed and IMO very little core functionality added post purchase by Nokia. This tendency to abandon a userbase and platform has left a lot of end users and developers feeling burned and I think it is part of why we don't see a lot of commercial development or widespread enthusiasm for the platform, despite it being a far more open platform than Android/Iphone and even WebOS as well as being an impressive piece of hardware.

Nokia barely seems to mention the N900 or Maemo as part of their overall strategy and does very little in the way of advertising. I am pretty fearful of the signs that I am seeing that the N900 will probably be abandoned (perhaps sooner than even the 770) for business reasons, not technical ones, and will not see an upgrade to Maemo 6. I would even be willing to pay a modest fee ($25-50) for such an upgrade. If none is released, I am jumping ship. I've owned and been a daily user of all 4 Maemo devices and IMO Nokia really needs to make pretty fundamental change to its product cycle & level of post purchase support or I am out.

Nokia likes to talk a big game about transitioning to a more platforms and services model, but in action they are all about forced obsolescence and selling you a new device once a year. This really burns bridges with both users and developers. IMO, the Iphone model of significant upgrades on the hardware side, new software functionality added and released often, coupled with extending updates and backwards compatibility to first/second generation devices is very effective at keeping end users/buyers happy and building a platform that developers want to invest their time and efforts in.

You can jump ship right now then, because there is no way that Maemo 6 will be (officially) available for the N900.

lol the phone is in its infancy. other phones take 6 to 12 months to mature. chill and enjoy it

I'm seriously getting annoyed with these threads. If you don't like it then don't use it buy it etc... or just return it.

And before someone goes off on "right to own opinion" yes... you are as are we all. But this is a forum FOR the device/software/etc and for those that wont to have it work better, improve it, modify it, etc. In other words a community that isn't directly linked to Nokia. Not for "Nokia should do this because I say so" etc. Maybe create a "Messages to Nokia" forum where people can post all this dribble and the rest of us can get on with improving our experience and helping one another.

What a waste of time...

I'm sorry if i annoyed people with this tread.. It's a lot of money tho!
I've really liked the openess of the community from my browisng and that no one's in the "my code!" camp, and appreciate the frank opinions of you guys/gals with regards to the N900.
I think, like some of you have sugested, I'll get one, and have a play, It'll at least put me ahead of the curve if there's ever a next gen device..

I think this Q is a no-issue. this phone will grow slowly. Nokia have no plans for helping out with features. maemo 5 is driven by the community.

Is there a reason for this?

I am a little concerned about future support myself. Not that it'll prevent me from getting the N900... an open phone that I can actually do something with will allow me to fix what I want when I want no matter how long I have the phone.

But, if the N900 is going to be forgotten rather quickly in the "official" channels, to be replaced whatever 5 of 5 or 6 of 6 or whatever device is next with the capacitive and "maemo 6".. makes me a bit nervous. Especially considering that, for me, it's such a heavy cost.

I'd say go ahead and get it if you like the vibe of the community here and have interest in the many projects that people are working on. The feature set of the N900 looks on track to be pretty beefy in the coming months (it already is pretty crazy now, tho a little rough in some aspects). If you're interested in linux, open source, development, or just being a huge geeked out nerd-monster I'd say it's a no-brainer to pick up this device.

The only reason I'd suggest not getting one is if you aren't comfortable with the level of complexity involved with getting what you want from the device. A lot of stuff is not available out of the box. The community here more than makes up for that in my opinion, and I've rarely seen anyone be anything but helpful to someone who is polite and genuinely needs some help figuring something out.

I'd forget about the whole thing with Nokia's marketing of the N900 vs the reality of it (step 4/5, early adopter device, etc.). It'll be an endless argument that I'm sure will resume anew when the next device is released. As a reasonably tech-savvy end user new to linux and new to maemo I can say the real N900 experience is in the middle somewhere, depending on the features you need. The learning curve is totally in line with any new device or platform, except that you can take it as far as you want to go with the N900.

just like the n97 it will take alot of time.... Nokia doesn't throw firmware out that fast, hope they did becuz i love firmware updates lol