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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%">Hello everyone,<br>
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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%">My name is Ryan
Cristal, though you may recognize me as “klinglerware” on TMO.
I've participated in the Maemo community since 2007, when a newly
purchased N800 brought me to ITT. Since that time, I've owned and
enjoyed the N900 and N9. In fact, I still use both the N900 and N9
on a daily basis. I am also a hopeful supporter of the Neo900.<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%">Over the years on
ITT/TMO, I've seen the focus of community interest change as
technology has changed and as consumer tastes, developer
interests,
and corporate priorities have evolved. Accordingly, we've seen
waves
of strong community contributors come and go as the winds have
shifted.<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%">And yet, the
community remains. The wave of new N800/N810 owners did not “kill”
ITT/TMO, neither did the even larger waves of N900 and N9 owners,
nor
did the infusion of Jolla/Sailfish users and topics. What this
tells me is that while the community can be fragmented, the
community
can also absorb our many interests and can even reinvent itself
along
the way.<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%">I first came to the
Maemo world as an “end user”. But, as with many of us who've
stayed, I've learned a lot about Linux, the command line, and how
to
take advantage of the relative openness of these platforms to fix
issues and tweak my user experience to my liking. I've learned
that
even as an end user, engaging with developers and maintainers by
filing bugs, providing feedback, and making the occasional
donation,
can positively impact the community as a whole.<br>
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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%">Though I'm
relatively
quiet on the boards, I've learned so much from this community over
the years. I have reaped the benefits of what the community has
been
able to accomplish and maintain, especially in keeping
Maemo/Harmattan/Sailfish useful and relevant. If elected, I will
take this as an opportunity to give back to the group and to do my
part in keeping our community enabled into the future.
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Thank you,<br>
Ryan<br>
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