I write this blog because so many questions at Forum Nokia Discussion, such as "How do I start Symbian OS C++ development?", "Which SDK should I use?" etc.

Download SDK

The first thing to do is download the Symbian OS C++ SDK. Which SDK to download? There are several SDKs depending on the UI platforms of the phones, i.e.:

• S60. This is the platform of the most selling Symbian OS phones. Many of phones are manufactured by Nokia. S60 is mostly used in one-handed phones, but it supports full keyboard (QWERTY) too.
  The S60 SDK is available at Forum Nokia. Before downloading any SDKs, check the SDK version that you need. For example, to develop applications for Nokia N95, you need S60 3rd FP1 SDK.
   
• UIQ. This platform is mostly used in PDA-like phones that are operated with stylus. However, there are some UIQ phones operated with keyboard too. Many of UIQ phones are manufactured by Sony Ericsson.
  The UIQ SDK is available at UIQ Technology.
   
• Series 80. Series 80 is the platform for Nokia Communicator Series, such as Communicator 9500 and 9300. I am not sure about the future of Series 80 because I haven't heard any upcoming Communicator models.
  The Series 80 SDK is available at Forum Nokia.

Actually, there is one more UI platform for Symbian OS, i.e. Series 90 from Nokia. Unfortunately, the platform has been discontinued. The only product that came out to the market is Nokia 7710. I don't think you should start development on Series 90 unless there is a specific need to support Nokia 7710.

Download IDE

Another question that usually comes up from developers is "Which IDE to use?" Once again, there are several IDEs supporting Symbian OS C++, i.e.:

• Carbide.c++. This IDE will be the future for all Symbian OS C++ development. If you are new to Symbian OS world, I would recommend starting with Carbide.c++. Although the current version of Carbide.c++ is not perfect yet, Nokia has put a serious effort to make it better.
   
• CodeWarrior. This is an old IDE that is originally developed by Metrowerks but then bought by Nokia. I would not recommend this IDE because Nokia may discontinue the support of CodeWarrior any time.
   
• Visual Studio .NET 2003  + Carbide.vs. As you may know Visual Studio .NET is one of the best IDEs out there. There is plug-in from Nokia to support Symbian C++ development under Visual Studio .NET. The plug-in is called Carbide.vs.
  Some people have been asking whether there is Carbide.vs for Visual Studio .NET 2005. As far as I know, the answer is no.
   
• Linux-based IDE. If you are a fan of UNIX, there is "unofficial" tool to support Symbian C++ development in Linux platform, called sdk2unix.

As summary, if you are developing for Windows, I highly recommend to start using Carbide.c++. Note that there is a free version, called Carbide.c++ Express. The other two versions, Developers and Professional, cost some money.

Buy Books

There have been many concerns about the quality of SDK documentation, which is not good enough. That's why I would recommend buying one of Symbian OS C++ books, e.g.:

• Symbian OS C++ for Mobile Phones (Symbian Press)
   
  
• Developing Series 60 Applications: A Guide for Symbian OS C++ Developers (Nokia Mobile Developer Series)
   
  
• The Accredited Symbian Developer Primer: Fundamentals of Symbian OS (Symbian Press) - This is actually targeted for developers who want to take Accredited Symbian Developer certificate. However, the contents are good for beginner too.

Technical Articles, Sample Codes and Forum Discussion

Sometimes books are not enough, so you may want to read some technical articles about Symbian OS C++ as well. There are several good sources, i.e.:

• Forum Nokia. There are tons of technical articles and sample codes from Forum Nokia. 
  
  
• Sony Ericsson Developer World - Similar to Forum Nokia, but mostly for UIQ platform. 
  
  
• NewLC - Independent Symbian OS c++ web site that hosts many technical articles.

The last thing that I want to mention is forum discussions. Whenever you have problems or questions, you can always fire your questions to the developer communities. All the three sites above have forum discussions.