The problem with developing for Maemo is not setting up the SDK or getting started with tutorials, but lack or scattered nature of comprehensive documentation.

There is no single place where you can find all documentation, and some stuff isn't even properly documented, and you have to read source code files (if Google finds them) or reverse-engineer. It's often a lot of trial and error.

For exercise, try to find out how to play a video in a window with MAFW and control the volume. Apart from what I've now written in Python (hey, am I the only one using MAFW in open source? It seems so...) you won't find much. But you'll find how to extend MAFW with new plugins (oh great). I'm really thinking about filing bug reports against the often useless state of even the Nokia-official developer documentation.
You can waste hours and days on reverse-engineering and trial-and-error.

i think first you have to learn C++, then work on it with Qt SDK

I followed these steps:
http://wiki.maemo.org/MADDE/QtCreato...on_for_windows

But they may be well out of date now because that wiki page was written when pr1.2 wasnt even out, and maybe the QtCreator team sorted out all the issues, and made a nice official, stable QtCreator that integrates easily with MADDE

(Does anyone know if QtC/MADDE things have changed?)

y search google when you can ask here and get a more detailed answer? i use google a lot but i also ask questions here. i thought maemo.org was a place where you could ask n900 and maemo questions and stuff

Sorry to get off topic but thanks to everyone with some positive input on this as it is something that i myself have been curious about and done hours of research as well only to still end up scratching my head often. it is not as easy as one might think to get started so thanks again everyone

Python
Pyside

If you're going to ask questions, do your homework first. Really.

Coming onto a developer (sub)forum asking "How do you develop things?" is like walking up to a race car driver and ask "How do you drive a car?".

Being a bit more specific would help. And comparing Google to asking here is comparing different things. To answer a broad question like the one posed by OP would take quite a while and most of the answers would be better served via a page dedicated to a specific sub-topic.

Asking here is to go for details and best practices that might be hard to filter out from a few hundred hits on Google. Or, to actually find that page amongst those hundred where you'd get all the info you need.

But, to answer OP's question:
I set up my own cross compiler toolchain environment. There's a thread about it here that I created. I use emacs to write my code, make to build it by using gcc to compile my C code.

I don't use MADDE or the SDK because I really don't see any reason for it.

I totally get that. it makes sense. But its one thing to offer some one advise on how to ask a question or in what areas they should be more specific in order to get the best answers for them and its a totally different thing to slam them for asking in the first place and not seeing whats "in front of them". or insult there intelligence and assume they didn't do any research at all.. or maybe they didn't do ENOUGH research in the eyes of the guy or gal slamming them. of course some kinda research should go into some questions i mean how would we even know how to interpret the answers to such a question as this one with out getting a basic understanding. but here, may have been his first step in his research. i have read how to's, i have read blogs and forums and all kinda stuff and nothing beats plain old English from some one answering your question.

If the question is very general then why not give a general answer and see how it plays out. ie: "well in order to develop for the n900 you need to download and install this program or that software. start off with something simple like x,y,z, and get your feet wet. there is a lot more info on basic programing tools at www.whatever"

Even if they want to be spoon fed and want some one to hold there hand through every step of the progress why cant they come here to politely ask for it? there is some one out there for every one my mama always said. now, I understand that chances are they wont find some one willing to do that here to any extensive degree but maybe they will. either way what place is it of yours or mines or anyone else to meet a request for information no matter how seemingly under researched in our opinions with sarcasm and demeaning language? especially when the request wasn't made to the slammer specifically and was made with a general respect?

Here is a simple thought. if you don't have something nice to say or something productive why not re consider saying it? Maybe you (and not you specifically) are not the one to persevere hand holding but maybe i am. and maybe we all are to a degree. y not let the information seeker find out what they can and just give criticism (constructive of course) on how to maybe get better answers

posts on forums are great to read for info but they don't answer specific questions as the authors can not read the minds of information seekers. So who ever is reading please don't slam me should i come with a question that seems a bit elementary to you rock star developers as i am only trying to learn. know that i did do some research and i would kinda rather you just not comment if it wont be productive and with out the snarky comments

Heh. I've expected these kind of reaction... Thanks andraeseus1 for understanding. I can't really give a specific answer because I don't know what to ask, I'm just a high school kid trying to learn programming... I have done some research, but the terms they used i just do not understand. I know some people might say if I'm don't even know the basic, why are you even bother to make apps for N900?

"well in order to develop for the n900 you need to download and install this program or that software. start off with something simple like x,y,z, and get your feet wet. there is a lot more info on basic programing tools at www.whatever"

Something like these would help me a lot.

Thanks guys.

"well in order to develop for the n900 you need to download and install this program or that software Python, Qt Creator, PyQt4, and Eric IDE (all of those are optional and only required if you want to run your apps on your desktop as well to test them. All you really need is notepad.). start off with something simple like 'Hello World' and get your feet wet. there is a lot more info on basic programing tools at www.whatever Here, here, Here, Here and here."

This is by no means a comprehensive list.

How's that?