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<p>I like you am a US resident and I like you wanted a device that was completely linux and was more then ecstatic when I read about the N900.  I've been using it as my daily phone for two years in December.  I don't normally post on the mailing list but I do subscribe to all of them so I can feel involved and if anything is going astray with my N900 there is usually someone sending an email with the same problem on the lists.  I have only seen one other person to have the N900 and i dont know anyone who hasn't gotten there phone from there carrier.  I also have a feeling that I will be migrating to android in a short time but am disappointed as all of them seem to be the same large-screened touch phones and very little options for a phone with a physical keyboard.  We are all in the same community though and while I do not develop for Maemo/Meego I consider myself a super power-user that can usually get most things working.  Maybe its just my lack of involvement in these mailing lists but I feel that people act similarly to the way people act on a few of the forums I am involved in.  There will always be outbursts, which I do not consider your message an outburst.  I am frustrated too by the lack of choice I have for my next device and would love to see a production version of the N950 but still know it will never happen.  I will still subscribe to these lists as I am generally interested but will probably continue to only read them and not really post.  
<br>----- Original message -----
<br>> Foreword:
<br>> This is a very long, blog-like message. Thanks to those who read through
<br>> it. I am posting here instead of my personal blog as I want to create a
<br>> discussion instead of a reaction.
<br>>
<br>> I feel I should explain my thoughts of the Maemo/MeeGo community from
<br>> the perspective of a US resident. I realize my opinions are mine and
<br>> mine alone. I welcome any response, particularly those who live in the
<br>> US. My perception of the Maemo/MeeGo community is that those directly
<br>> involved (Nokia employees, Maemo council members, Maemo workers) have a
<br>> self-entitled, elitist attitude. I cannot recount any time I have had a
<br>> warm, fuzzy feeling from discussions that I have been associated with or
<br>> not. Yes, the preceding is a general, subjective comment. Let me break
<br>> it down:
<br>>
<br>> First and foremost I wish to comment on the interactions I've had on the
<br>> mailing lists. The few times I communicate with Maemo/MeeGo folks it
<br>> comes across as hostile. This may be from a native English speaker
<br>> talking to non-native speakers. A few examples:
<br>> -Posting "wrong list" comments on e-mails who's topics are half-way
<br>> between the two Maemo lists. Get over yourself. These lists are so low
<br>> volume these kinds of comments are off-topic and are inflammatory.
<br>> -Knowing your job title. I don't know the title or position you hold by
<br>> just your name, nor should you expect me to. Telling someone "well Bob
<br>> Smith told you X, you should believe him". Why? One time in the past I
<br>> was given a "Who are you?" type of response, which is obviously very
<br>> condescending. The Maemo/MeeGo community is very small and unknown.
<br>> Consider the fact that outsiders have no idea who you are.
<br>>
<br>> The general US resident does not purchase a phone that is not sold at a
<br>> wireless phone carrier's store. I feel I can speak with certainty that a
<br>> super majority of the cell phone owning, US population does not buy a
<br>> phone on their own. My friends, co-workers, and family have all
<br>> purchased phones from their carrier. I do not personally know of anyone
<br>> besides myself that has purchased the phone directly from the
<br>> manufacturer.
<br>>
<br>> Why is the paragraph above important?
<br>> Maemo/MeeGo devices are not sold by US carriers. They will only be in
<br>> the hands of a few thousand US residents compared to the millions of
<br>> Android or iOS devices. My friends, co-workers, and family will never
<br>> own a Maemo/MeeGo device so I can never write an app for them or share
<br>> my experiences with them.
<br>>
<br>> I feel any time or effort put into a Maemo/MeeGo device would be
<br>> wasteful. After working on a few projects I felt any further time
<br>> programming for Maemo/MeeGo would be wasted. I stopped working on a
<br>> karaoke app because of it. I do not see any large following
<br>> internationally either. This mailing list (including maemo-developer)
<br>> has fallen completely silent. I wasn't motivated enough to ask for a
<br>> N950 to develop on after seeing the responses to the announcement of the
<br>> N9 by US-based news/blog sites, which were mostly negative.
<br>>
<br>> Why have I made this e-mail?
<br>> I wanted to have a true Linux phone (kernel + userspace) and Maemo/MeeGo
<br>> seemed like the answer to my prayers. I have no certainty of Nokia's
<br>> investing in marketing or even shipping a device to the US. I feel my
<br>> only move is to reluctantly transition to the Android platform. Does
<br>> anyone else share my sentiment or do you have a different perception?
<br>>
<br>> Before anyone pulls out the Angry Birds card they should know that it
<br>> does not apply to me. I do not wish to make a cross-phone app. Angry
<br>> Birds was only successful when it moved *from* Maemo *to* Android/iOS/BB
<br>> devices. Maemo/MeeGo does not even promote cross-phone development.
<br>> Using Qt on a phone platform will soon die with MeeGo since Symbian is
<br>> dead and WP7, even if it provides a Qt runtime, is a completely
<br>> uninteresting platform to me.
<br>>
<br>> Footnote:
<br>> Who am I? I'm just your typical, ignorant American. I work in the health
<br>> care industry as a software programmer and maintain packages in the
<br>> Fedora distribution in my spare time.
<br>> _______________________________________________
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<br>> <a href="mailto:maemo-community@maemo.org">maemo-community@maemo.org</a>
<br>> <a href="https://lists.maemo.org/mailman/listinfo/maemo-community">https://lists.maemo.org/mailman/listinfo/maemo-community</a>
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