Stskeeps | # 541 | 2010-01-29, 23:16 | Report

If you chroot into initfs, sure. And I forgot to add 'with some closed source hardware support' :P But let's fork this thread if this is what we have to discuss. Original thread is too important to take this direction.

raily | # 542 | 2010-01-29, 23:18 | Report

I hate this thread and Nokia for putting the N900 at this price to the market just to dump it for an upcoming Maemo 6 device

danramos | # 543 | 2010-01-29, 23:26 | Report

Which, once again, brings me to my rants about the cellular radio (which is a large contributing factor to the price).

Why didn't they just concentrate on putting GREAT VOIP software on a new wifi device, make it cheaper, lighter with a bigger screen (what with all that new real estate that the removal of cellular radio provides). Spend your resources on the software... THEN, if it proves to be an AMAZING VOIP phone, down the road, add cellular or mobile radio when it's much cheaper and smaller to implement. While we're at it, the resources should also have gone into better supporting the customers and providing a means to get repairs and parts rather than shmoozing with T-Mobile just to lose it or putting all that effort into cellular at all.

The executives/management have really porked this one.

crenquis | # 544 | 2010-01-29, 23:29 | Report

The impression that I got when reading "road map" type articles about where maemo is going is that the n900 is going to be like the 770 tablet -- somewhat abandoned after less than a year...

I still bought a n900, because I think that this will be the last nxxx tablet that is completely open.

huschke | # 545 | 2010-01-29, 23:29 | Report

I still have faith in Nokia. I mean they have to support a device I paid 600 € for, right?

Lind1e | # 546 | 2010-01-29, 23:30 | Report

Hi again, guys. Now that is what I call more positive! Thank you Believe me, I had every intention of going to pick up my own personal "Holy Grail" in the morning - I've been looking forward to it all week. I've also been reading (not on this website, I might add) a thread all about "x" and this joke.....

If the designers of X Windows built cars, there would be no fewer than five steering wheels hidden about the cockpit, none of which followed the same principles - but you'd be able to shift gears with your car stereo. Useful feature, that.
-- Marcus J. Ranum, Digital Equipment Corporation

which is rather funny.

Finally, although the Vodaphone contract is for 24 months the handset is free and from what I can gather, so are most of the applications........

qgil | # 547 | 2010-01-29, 23:31 | Report

Because of relatively obvious reasons in platform development. Within one release you avoid touching the kernel and low level components unless you have a very good reason. You don't introduce changes in the UI specs unless you have a very good reason. You don't touch components providing an API unless you have a very good reason. Things like these.

In the specific case of the step from Maemo 5 to 6 we have a change of toolkit, which means that our applications are being rewritten/redesigned. If a feature request implies deep work and is actually being done in the new version, then we prefer to put the resources in a good Harmattan implementation rather than in 2 half-backed implementations... or a N months delay.

This is why in certain cases we know that a certain bug or feature request is not going to be addressed in Maemo 5, independently of the time the N900 has been in the shelves. You have the option of getting nervous because of this information... or you have the option to get used to open development practices.

Tip for the weekend. Don't get nervous & enjoy the ride. Let's talk again after the Harmattan alpha release.

---

Last edited by qgil; 2010-01-29 at 23:33.

raily | # 548 | 2010-01-29, 23:43 | Report

The N900 and any other smartphone above 500€ just cannot justify the price by the pure system specs. there needs to be a certain software background which needs to be growing and updating after the device purchase. at least that is what I expect. otherwise I could go back to basic telephony&sms phones with 2 weeks battery life selling at 50-100€

fatalsaint | # 549 | 2010-01-29, 23:46 | Report

While I normally appreciate and agree with you completely qgil this is what makes it frustrating.

Sure, you're making harmattan great - but evidently that does absolutely nothing for those that bought the N900 and have paid Nokia now.

I don't really call it "open development" practices.. if it were open - We'd get harmattan on the N900 and this entire debate would be a non-issue.

danramos | # 550 | 2010-01-29, 23:49 | Report

I sincerely hope you mean to imply that Maemo 6 will certainly be released for the N900 and that you're not implying, once again, that it will be up to the community to backport features for a community run distribution like the N8x0 devices were relegated to.

Otherwise, with apologies, I might summarize what you wrote as "Piss on consumers! Everybody should be a developer!"

This certainly didn't help alleviate the aloof nature of my rephrasing of your statement.