I know maemo is approximately 80% open source or so. What about the new part on the N900 compared to the N8xx, the telephony? Anyone who has the phone care to comment? I'm talking about, for example, received calls, received SMSs, call rejection etc, can you access those?

See this thread.

I have seen a talk about accessing SMS database, so this is possible.

I also don't think that this have much to do with open or close-source. It is rather a matter of (finding) right APIs to access those information.

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=33377

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=34057

Thank you both. Just to explain, I'm no programmer (I had to look API up, he, he). What I gather from your responses is there's currently access to SMS's. So the SDK would not supply the API's, right? These are more or less "hacked" or figured out? Sorry for being so ignorant.

What is the likelihood that the APIs for telephony events such as received calls etc are identifiable, and how long might that take?

Thank you again!

I'm involved in the development of a set of APIs (context toolbox) that will include the data that you are asking about.
We first focus on GPS, WLAN, bluetooth, accelerometer etc. So regarding this calendar/calls/SMS I would say that we will have it around March (it is done in/for C++).

But of course there may be something nice and easy available earlier

Wow! That sounds promising. I have an idea for an application involving an accessory. As I'm no programmer I have no idea about how to make it happen, although I know its doable. Am I allowed to propose this in Maemo Brainstorm, or am I only allowed to do it if I have a solution for how to accomplish it? i.e. if I don't know how to solve it, it stays in the Talk / General section?

You are welcome to add ideas to the brainstorm even if you don't have technical knowledge about solution. It is however good, if you can describe how it should be done in general terms (i.e. what do you expect from given app to do).

Please read Short intro to Brainstorm

Can you write more about this? Who else is involved, what are the project goals, will this be open-source, etc.?

@pelago, sure.

It is a project started and DTU as a part of a course in mobile software development. At the moment it is me and my friend involved (but this is an early stage).

The goal is to develop a Context Toolbox for Maemo (5+) platform, similar to already existing Context Toolbox for S60. Simply speaking, we want to create a set of (hierarchical) APIs that will make writing context aware applications easier. This includes fairly simple APIs of low level (reading from GPS, accelerometer, WLAN), libraries that take care of event scheduling (e.g. when WLAN X found turn on accelerometer), labeling locations/activites, discovering those activities (car driving, walking) and so on.
This is primarily targeted into our student environment, to make Maemo a nice prototyping platform. We are using S60 with Python and JavaME at our courses, but we would like to see a new platform being used. At some of those courses we have students with very little technical knowledge, but fresh look at how the mobile applications should look like, thus 'prototyping'.

I will write more about this project, which can be of some use for community, in the mid-December when we have the first blocks of this toolbox ready. Right now we are still waiting for the actual devices