I think you guys are overreacting, to be honest. There will be updates to maemo 2-- that's already been announced. So why not wait to see what's incorporated before jumping the gun?

There were fundamental changes to the architecture. Did that absolutely necessitate a break? Perhaps not. But the N800 program leaders decided to introduce a new OS path and you should all realize, if you sit back and think objectively, that they didn't do so lightly. Surely you all realize they're aware of the same things you are!

As for the comment made about "not wanting to be a beta tester"-- please. It's come to the point that we all are, on every platform. I'm not saying that makes it right (I'm a developer and can assure you I don't like the status quo) but it has become a general reality so don't be so disingenuous as to claim the N800 (or the 770 for that matter) are unique in this regard. MS Windows is the largest continuous beta program on the planet!

I'd like to see more done by Nokia development but my guess is the 770 was the "let's see what happens if we toss this out there" device and that the N800 is intended to be the Real Deal archetype. So from now on I expect to see a more thorough, professional approach to development and support from Nokia-- and that of course includes "beta" updates to OS 2007. If not, I'll be *****ing and moaning right along with you.

EDIT: oh, and the "The 770 boat is sinking" comment is hyperbolic beyond belief. If the device works for its user, it's not obsolete, abandoned, sinking or what have you. The "conventional wisdom" to the contrary is marketing brainwashing talking.

John, I think you don't have to worry. If there is anyone with at least half a brain in Nokia, you will soon find your discount code from your inbox. It's us mere mortals, whose names won't live forever at list of authors in great open source softwares, that have to be worried. We will be ones forced to pay 400€/$ yearly(?) tax to Nokia if we want to use new software in the future.

My $400 was merely bi-annual. The hidden benefit of being an early adopter?

The point being made about the developer subsidy is that developers are being subsidized, in part, whereas the average user is getting nothing. Developers are therefore given an incentive to upgrade and develop for the N800, which in turn forces the average user to upgrade in order to be able to run software that might otherwise be developed for the N770.

A few people feel a bit icky about participating in this.

I'm not so sure you want to compare your OS with Microsoft Windows, especially in that respect.

Seriously, though, I abandoned Windows for that exact reason. Linux is no better in terms of stability, to be sure, but it's free, so I can't exactly expect flawlessness. Windows (and these Nokia devices) are expensive and should not subject their users to the kinds of issues that they experience.

To an extent, Nokia's OS should even be held to a higher standard than Windows, since the hardware on which it runs is fixed and unchanging (well, it used to be), which makes it more similar to Apple and OSX. I would like to see the Internet Tablet OS reach OSX's level of stability.

I won't argue those points, because they are certainly sound.

I just think people are jumping a bit too quickly vis-a-vis the OS issue.

Although I would appreciate that sentiment, it doesn't exactly address my issue. Even if they gave me a free N800, I wouldn't be appeased (although it would certainly facilitate testing Maemo Mapper on the N800 platform).

My issue is that of the software incompatibilities between the 770 and the N800. Addressing that would require Nokia bridging the software gap between the N800 and the 770, ensuring that 770 owners will not be left behind on a dieing platform. If the upcoming Maemo 2.x update does just that, then I will have little about which to complain. But considering I have received little to no encouragement from Nokia itself, I'm not very confident that the update will fit the bill exactly.

I appreciate the flattery, but in the open source world, authors are ordinary people with the same concerns as everyone else. In this case, I think all 770 owners that decide not to upgrade (including 3rd-party authors) should be worried about what an incompatible software upgrade might do to the future of their device.

Quite right.

I want to take this opportunity to assure Maemo Mapper users that I will continue to provide support for the 770. Although this may seem obvious, since I am not upgrading to the N800, I want to emphasize that I would have provided this support even if I had decided to upgrade. If that support happens to benefit N800 users, then all the better. And where possible, I will try my best to support the new platform as well, but never at the expense of its usefulness on the 770.

This resolve shouldn't be very difficult to implement, since (as far as I know) there is nothing new and compelling in the N800 upon which Maemo Mapper can take advantage, except perhaps in pursuit of photographic geocoding functionality, for which I have no personal interest (others can surely contribute such code to the project if they wish).

I should clarify that my support remains with the 770 device, not just the 2006 OS. If the 770 device receives a free backward-incompatible OS update in 2007 (like it did in 2006), then future Maemo Mapper development will be geared toward that new OS (just as was the case between Maemo Mapper 0.x and 1.x). I hope this isn't unreasonable, considering the update is freely available to all 770 owners, unlike the N800.

Speaking of which, can someone with an N800 please test and see if Maemo Mapper 1.3.2 works on the N800? Also, I am curious to know if the Maemo Bluetooth Plugin works the same (particular with respect to Maemo Mapper). Thanks.

I would gladly test maemo mapper, although I have no gps module... so the question becomes what could I test? I was never able to use it at all on the 770.

Also, does Bluetooth 2.0 offer any benefit for maemo mapper?

Whee offtopic!

You can test all of the relevant parts of maemo mapper without a bluetooth GPS (if you can perform a scan for nearby Bluetooth GPSes, it's basically certain that it will be possible to connect.) Just getting it to run will say quite a bit.

Bluetooth 2.0's benefit will be indirect. Higher data rates coupled with higher data rate phones will lead to a more responsive Maemo Mapper when downloading maps on the fly. NMEA GPS protocol (used by almost everything, including Maemo Mapper) works just fine at 4800bps. BT 2.0 with a BT 2.0 GPS may let you place the GPS farther away, might consume less battery, etc, but it's not going to create any new functionality or significantly improve the functionality of the GPS itself.

As a MaemoMapper user & supporter and a (future) owner of the n800 (already ordered for... ehr, uhm... my wife ?!? ) I'll check MM with the n800 as soon as it hits me (well, after have convinced my wife that's her birthday present, and hoping that she lends it to me, and also hoping that a flying n800 won't hit my head after my wife's launch... ) and let you know if noone else will do it before. Huh hoh, it seems a hard task!