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Posts: 456 | Thanked: 1,580 times | Joined on Dec 2009
#11
I think that some usable hardware is very important as well.

First of all, the motivation (from an "occasional software developers" view) to write a software that solves a particular issue is much higher when you have a device at hand that you use on a regular basis and on which you will use the software yourself.
Additionally, it is much easier to experiment, play around, and develop software if you really have some "hands-on" device you can run, test, and maybe even write code on.
Furthermore, when you use a device on a regular basis you are getting much more and better ideas of what kind of software might be missing or what new use-cases could open up, so creativity would also profit from this.
Also exploring new possiblities by messing with the inner bits of hardware and low-level software requires having some device one can tinker with.

With usable I mean that one can use a device on a regular basis.
Additionally, it should be publically available via "normal" sales channels.

For now we have the N900 and N9 which are really great devices but I think we also need some perspective in the longer term.

Vivaldi is a very nice example and effort, but personally I would also like some perspective in the N9 form-factor smart phone area.

Please excuse me if this is too off topic. But as we are discussing something that, in my opinion, will affect our (the maemo) future in the long term I felt like this should be mentioned.


Edit: Having real devices that can be used on a regular basis in everyday life is what distinguishes Maemo from all other Open Source "hand held" initiatives I know and was, at least for me, the primary reason to join this great community.
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Last edited by Wonko; 2012-04-30 at 22:14.
 

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