Since I started this little bit of entertainment maybe I can "end" it.

I bought the N800 last Friday. After using it for the weekend and Flashing the new software I can understand both sides.

Coming from a Windows background and having owned a Windows PDA for the past few years I can already see that the unit is not as finished as "Windows Mobile" is. Of course that PDA software went through 4 or 5 different builds, each one requiring the user to buy another unit before getting to the current version. Upgrades never did work right, which is why I am willing to change.

I hope Nokia will NOT continue that practice but will develop this product into a finished product. I see that the Linux undercarrage is more complex than needed, Linux Geeks aside, ie it took a lot of searching to even fine where the storage cards were.

The N800 has a lot of promise that I am hoping will be fullfilled. If so the money will be well spent, if not, then my current worry of mis-spent finances will come back to haunt me.

To the group of developers the unit is probablely great, offering a NEW device to play with. I am very thankful for the FREE software that is offered, and try to be patient and understanding of each author that uses his spare time to write usable software.

The file system seems to be the hardest to understand for me and I can understand how a new user would just throw up his hands and woe the day they bought the N800. The many different ways software can (or must) be added and which libraries MUST be added first, overwelm me.

I see that NOOBIE's like me need more appreciation of the developers, and in turn the developers need more understanding of those of us that just want a useable unit and don't program ourselfs.

We all spend our money and take our chances. Now I need to find a good Bible reader and figure out how to load it, and hope VLC, Mortplayer, and uBook will be ported over!

Excellent post remjax. I think your faith will be rewarded.

I think I saw a Bible reader available. Sorry but I can not remember the link. If I find it, I will forward it to you.

Dude, if you think that was my wrath, you'll be in for a nasty surprise the day I get angry with you. (and may that day be in the far, far future, when pigs fly, with friggin' lasers)

I still think that calling something an "Internet Tablet", immediately followed by: "... but obviously it doesn't do the novelty stuff", and then calling everything internet-ish the tablet doesn't do "novelty", is not entirely kosher.

OMG!!!

We have all made purchases we regret. Again while some of the points you are making have inklings of truth, you need to understand that some people are/were dying to get their hands on a linux device, and while you would like to see it dummied down, others enjoy the complexity (if you choose to call it that). I prefer to call it flexibility. I enjoy being able to run an OS that I can alter down to the core, and get it to do exactly what I want. I dreamed of the day when I would purchase a Zaurus and was extremely happy when the n770 was born. While I understand your perspective, you need to understand, that while you need to warn people of your mistake and tell them not to make the same one, you also need to recognize that lots of other people are happy with thier purchases, and happy with Nokia for the most part. And not make blanket remarks about the device as a whole, while you clearly do not understand it.

I second that!
Nice post and a good way to end it!

Hey, we're all entitled to our opinions. But, in all seriousness, you've misconstrued what I said, Karel, taking the remarks farther than they were obviously intended. But then, there's the subjectivity again.

(and everything's relative, including the perception of wrath)

Reading through this thread a second time I had a flashback to the days of Mike Caine...

you read it a second time??? once was enough for me LOL

lol... if/when things get dull here we could always lobby for an appearance...