[fjtorres]

The fundamental question is whether Pocketbook is a *platform* or a product.

Big difference in the *type* of support each needs and a big difference in the way sales are achieved.

Products are sold individually; each specific model has to sell itself on its own merits. Support starts with the warranty and (with some vendors) *ends* there. And when the product stops being produced, support moves to the successor product.

Platforms are ongoing efforts, they require continual maintenance and support, they require promotion. But they earn brand loyalty and customer buy-in. Suceeding products that run on the platform come to market with an edge over non-platform products.

Platforms are long-term enduring plays (the Windows Platform has roots 25 years deep, UNIX/Linux 40 years) whereas products are short-term plays (TVs have traditionally changed their looks, controls, firmware on a yearly basis).

It is possible to be long-term success by running a series of short-term product plays and it is possible to be a long term success by building up a common platform on which to build families of products.
Choose one or choose the other; just don't try to sell one for the other. Bad outcomes follow. It is *not* possible is to build a successful platform without providing platform-level support.

And that means a *corporate* commitment to the platform. The computer industry is littered with the corpses of companies to whom "Open source" meant simply "No user support".
The user community will support platforms to the extent that the corporate parent is committed to the platform and not much more. They *will* walk away rather than try to breathe life into an abandoned/neglected project.

For a current example, just look to the dying OpenSolaris project.
Open Source and platform strategies have great value to the vendor but it doesn't come for free. And cooking up and SDK and throwing it over the wall isn't building a platform.

It's great to talk Openness, but sooner or later comes a time you have to walk the talk.