Hahahaha... That would be "dangerous"

I spent some time wondering if the analogy of a dog (whom you own, train, and keep as a domestic animal) v a cat (who remains always partially wild and her own critter) was what Dr J was after.

Then I wasted a chunk of time debating with myself which OS is which sort of dog...

Wel,, it helped me get to sleep after reading a book on dying.

...if people could just start thinking globally, instead of being so insular, US-centered...

Maemo is a bit dangerous in that its almost a hearken back to the days of owning a car and doing your own tuning. There a certain amount of freedom and rough-edgyness that comes with Maemo that's a good thing - that, if the right people crow loudly enough about, will change how computing is perceived.

Of course, I might have to wait until I'm some uber CEO-type to see this in light of Jaaksi's comment about Maemo being more like an Alfa rather than a boring car. But in light of what many (here) have experience, I think that we can say that there's a bit more about Maemo's potential and current energies that's the kind of disruptive that the computer industry needs.

Whether that equals fun for all or not is another question. Who all likes to get oily under a car that can be both tempermental and grin-inducing all at onc

What really concerned me with Ari's remarks are his definition of a computer:

"A computer of 2009 -- not 1999
When I talk about a computer, I talk about a computer people use today, especially young people. Think about the internet, messaging, sharing, openness, and think about browsers and players. Don't think about spreadsheets, word processors, file managers, or closed systems. That should put you in the right ballpark to start with."

To me computers are the things that deal with speadsheet, documents, file management, etc. Something that just does internet, messaging, media is more of a toy or a PDA, or smartphone, not a computer.

This is one of the major reasons I decided to buy an N900 after all. With Maemo 6 being for a capacitive screened device, I feel even more strongly that Nokia is moving away from a portable computer and towards a smartphone type device. After reading day after day about basing purchasing decisions on what's available, not what may be available, I decided to do just that.

I think the real danger here is that Maemo may end up being a mobile computer trapped in a smartphone body.

Or is the danger that the idea of what constitutes computing is a paradigm shift that some are not willing to make unless being dragged there

And that^ is how I took the "dangerous" comment.

I've a few motorcycles in my garage and one of my favorites is a 1977 BWM R100 RT that I enjoy riding and have taken to calling "Brunhilda". She is coming up on 250,000 miles on her clock and she keeps on tickin'. Every spring all it seems I have to do is wipe off the dust and flush out the carburetor float bowls and she fires right up. Down the road we go on a comfortable ride where everything works the way it always has. It is kind of like I've been "married to "Brunhilda" for years.

Another favorite is a 1972 H-D Superglide, FLH. The FLH only has 17,000 miles on it and still it is in need of a top end rebuild. Every year it takes longer and longer to get her ready and my first ride usually is not until June. However, this bike gets all my attention and I am always buying it little trinkets to dress it up... I think I may have bought "Brunhilda" new foot peg rubbers two or three years ago.

In my case the Harley is the "dangerous" one. I don't even know her name because each year my experience with her is like a dangerous liaison.

...but don't tell Brunhilda about her.

So if other phones are like wives, Maemo is a mistress? As the sort of woman men have affairs with but never marry, I think n900 and I will get along just fine.

It seems to me, that Maemo it generally as "rough around the edges" as you want it to be. There are probably a number of users who have never used the terminal on an N8*0, and probably enjoy it just fine (and won't on the n900 either). There are those who probably always have a terminal window open, and that is just how they operate. The N900 could work both ways. Simple for those who want to use it simply... downloading the basic apps that they "find", and those who want to try new things and to push the envelope. Kind of goes back to the car analogy brought up previously. The car is going to get you from point A to point A just fine, even without the Holly Double Pumper carburetor. The trip just wont be as exciting... but excitement is just a point of view.

That's what I'm saying.

That is how I took his remark. In a way, it is a lowering of the expectations of some of the potential customers but it also sounds like that needed to be done.

A whole bunch of people are going to buy this phone simply because they believe its expense must mean it is the best. I doubt it will be the best for the general public's needs.