The "maemo" usage is a good example of how programmers (as opposed to regular people -- joke!) treat language.

Maemo, to some programmers, means one thing and one thing only. In fact, maemo means what people are using it to mean, not what it once meant. That's what I mean by shorthand.

In order to communicate effectively with people, you need to figure out how they are using words and deal with them on that basis. In order to write a program effectively, you need to refer to the rule book and stick strictly to its specifications.

This is why tablet users should have a site of their own like this one, not one dominated by a bunch of specialists who have special rules and preconceptions.

> The "maemo" usage is a good example

It's also a good example of anal retentiveness at it's worst.

I'm a programmer. Maybe not a great one, or a super experienced one, but am one.

GeneralAntilles' comment was not prototypical of programmers, it was prototypical of GeneralAntilles.

I said the "Maemo website". That would be equal to someone saying the "Microsoft website", and being "corrected" because Microsoft is a corporation, microsoft.com is the website. Or saying the "NFL website" and be "corrected" because the NFL is an American Professional Sports League while nfl.com is the website.

It is, though I suspect we're not all working with the same definition of "end user", "power user", and the like.

To accompany the release of the Maemo 5 lead device, Nokia is working on a new user site. I expect it will replace and improve upon both Tableteer and the OS2008 User Site. And, just as past tablets have included various pointers to Tableteer and the OS2008 User Site, new devices will ship with pointers to this new Nokia site--not to maemo.org.

New and, I dunno, casual users will be able to read about, and click install links for, additional games, utilities, and other add on software on the new Nokia site. There will also be basic guides, tips, and tricks, I imagine. Some of the content--the best ranked apps from Extras and their reviews, for instance--will really be pulled in from maemo.org, but users of Nokia's new user site won't know or care.

At the same time, Nokia is expanding the channels it uses to interact with, and support, its commercial Symbian developers to also support commercial Maemo developers. Wage slaves who do Maemo nine to five will find Maemo resources equivalent to what commercial Symbian developers have had for years.

Fitting in between and around those two Nokia efforts will be maemo.org. It's being updated to make it more friendly to end users, but it's still not going to be for the guy who pulls his new Maemo 5 device from the box and thinks, "Boy, all this thing needs is a Bejeweled clone." That's Nokia's user site. maemo.org will be for anyone who wants to step beyond what Nokia provides there.

And no, "stepping beyond" doesn't necessarily mean programming whole new apps, becoming a command line goddess, or any of the stuff many people seem to associate with "power users". Sure, those folks are welcome, and maemo.org will hold resources for them, but as I see it, we all buy and use a frighteningly large number of products in our modern, daily lives, and anyone who chooses to devote some of their precious free time to becoming a participant in a web forum for a particular product has moved beyond being an average, casual user of that product. They've become an active, participating member of the community, and maemo.org is for them too.

The Community Council represents all of the maemo.org users, from forum denizens, to theme makers, to wiki editors, to bug reporters, to programmers, to whomever. They're not a governing body, and they have no power over those they are elected to represent. They're a funnel, collecting issues from the community, organizing improvements to maemo.org accordingly, and presenting clear ideas from the community to Nokia. They're expected to attend regular meetings on IRC, but there's nothing stopping other community members from also attending.

What? No!

We'll see about that when my storm troopers move in!

Mwahahahah!

The subject of the topic has moved on, but... I went with "Other" because -- due to various reasons -- I haven't been able to devote much time to development or these forums lately, so I thought I was out of touch and should not vote. <_<

geneven,

This may be your impression, but it's wrong... There are several user-prompted initiatives that the Council has/can/will fight for concerning future development of Maemo devices. If you think that there is something important that these devices needs to achieve, you can either (a) take it directly to Nokia (which may or may not be heard), or (b) ask the Council to take it to Nokia (which will definitely be heard). I'm not saying that anything we say will come to pass, but it really is a good start.

Likewise, users can always open bug reports and feature requests at bugs.maemo.org. If this is the case, the Council is constantly trolling there in order to suggest priorities to Nokia.

I see that I'm responding a few pages short of the current end of this thread, so someone may have already responded to this, but I feel that it is important for NIT users to understand that we are your advocates. Don't assume that we aren't trying to figure out what's best for the future of Maemo. Also, don't assume that we can do this without you.

Tim

You are right saying that the Council is not directly representative of the Maemo user base. It is an approximation, just like any body elected. Note that ITt is not fully representative either, it is again an approximation based on the most vocal and involved users.

Actually users have an influence that is much bigger than the Maemo community council and ITt. Users talk here and in maemo.org, but they talk as much and more through the retailers, the customer care lines, the surveys, the focused groups, the market studies... And they talk with their purchases, as many people point out here.

So yes, having a competent community council backed by a significant amount of engaged users is very useful for both sides. But hopefully nobody thinks that the destiny of Maemo will depend on who has been elected in the council, how many have voted or what is the URL and theme of this forum.

A couple of phrases have emerged in the above useful (for me) discussion.

"They've become an active, participating member of the community"

and I think the other was "engaged user".

Great, but what makes me blush and wince about the whole Linux community, and this community is similar to that group, is what happens to the vast array of clueless users, NOT engaged users.

Who is the spokesperson for them? I don't think they have one, yet the huge, overwhelming ultramajority of users are in this category. They are the ones who, when you say they need to switch directories, wait patiently for instructions on how to do so.

Someone enlightened said that that is what the Nokia forums are for. No, the Nokia forums are (a) pretty much worthless, and (b) for selling products, and (c) for giving you the impression that you should buy a tablet, and if you have a tablet, that you should tell your friends to buy one.

This is a place to tell newbies the truth, without really caring about Nokia products -- a place where, if everyone were to decide that the iPhone really WAS the ultimate gadget, a lot of people would say so. Yes, we are prejudiced in favor of Nokia products, but we are not serfs bound to them. We have moved from serfdom to surfing.

The new environment seems to be heavily populated with people who like ranks and hierarchy -- people want "karma points," and want to be rewarded with labels like "moderator" and "community leader".

But the only way the momentum is going to swing away from Windows products ...

Oh well, you've already decided -- have fun.

Read the post above yours, then get back to us.