Neo900 for Dummies?

[Gekkota]

Hi,

I am a huge fan of the N900 and use it since 2010. I tried other Smartphones since then with different OSs, but I went back to my good ol' N900 every time. When I heard about the Neo900 project I freaked out, because it seemed ike it was exactly what I was wishing for for some time: The software and case of the N900 packed with better hardware.

After reading through the Neo900 website and this forum my enthusiasm is slightly dampened, because I encountered a lot of tech-talk I don't understand. Together with the announcement in the FAQ, that the Neo900 will come with Debian GNU/Linux and not with Maemo got me thinking if it will be a suitable device for someone like me who is not THAT tech-affine.

I'd be glad to support the project, but right now I am afraid I'll buy a 500€+ paperweight I cannot use (fully) or have to excessively learn to use.
Can someone dispel my doubts? =)

[wolke]

the Neo900 will come with Debian GNU/Linux and not with Maemo

fremantle is currently being actively ported by folks in this community, with one of the primary goals being to able to be run it on the neo900. this is non-trivial, but recent successes in reverse engineering make it seem like it will eventually happen.

so, in short, you will be very likely be able to install maemo on the neo900, and you wont need to jump through hoops to do it. {though you should note that the porting is a community effort, quite separate from the neo900 hardware project}

[DDark]

Neo900 will come with Debian GNU/Linux and not with Maemo

It's not just Fremantle phone, you may use it with QtMoko, SHR, Relicant, Android or even Windows Embedded(I don't know why would you, but that's possible). As I understand the main reason it comes with Debian, is to remove the possible licensing problems with Nokia binary blobs.