I've joined the "Search for the world of Tizen" quest a few weeks ago, and it has been an awesome experience!
(I will be using the "I think" a lot, I'm still learning, I don't know everything and I'm always learning, so please feel free to share.
I was introduced by a friend to this new world of features and possibilities, in order to achieve a new goal for me, build an app for a wearable device (my first, so please, be gentle).
What can I say? I'm a self taught guy, so I'm more than used to dig up for knowledge, both sources and experiences, particularly the bad ones (and this are the best because they teach you something). To start, I used a well known search engine that starts with the letter "G", ends with "e" and in the middle has the "oogl" letters, for any tutorials, but got no luck.
- "What do you mean? Didn't you find any?"
Excellent questions, my I add. In fact, I did, but some of them quite "old" like one year old, and very basic stuff, yet, the push in the right direction for start.
The Tizen official web site is the best source (https://www.tizen.org/), yet you have to crawl a deep and complicated net of resources to find the information. The information is very focused, so, they show the result yet, the process to get there (which is what you need to get started) lacks.
At the time I started, there was only the option of installing the (Eclipse based) 2.3.1 SDK Tizen IDE, or 2.4 SDK Tizen IDE, and each didn't support each other's SKD.
Last week, (I think) the rev 1 for the 2.4 SDK was released and now, the same IDE can be used for developing solutions for any SDK, yet, Wearable solutions are only supported on 2.3.1 <= SDK. (I think)
So, if you know a bit of Android, and web development, you'll feel at home with Tizen, since in many ways they are alike.
You can develop Tizen solutions Native using C/C++ or Web Using a subset of JQuery Mobile (HTML5, CSS, Javascript), the Tizen Advanced UI Framework (TAU). Don't let the name fool you, Advanced.. If you are like me, and I know I am, you'll get a pain crawling this documentation to find the solution you're looking for.
For instance, I know I can use icons, yet, there's no quick (at least I couldn't find easily) reference to which. Yes I know, I can go under the deep nested folder structure, read the css (been there, done that), yet, If you're used to something like Bootstrap, JQuery Ui... it will be a pain.
Stackoverflow and similar, I wouldn't say to forget, but there's so "few" people on this, that you'll have to dig a lot or find the solution by yourself.
The IDE lacks of UX, and up to know, I couldn't find an easy way to debug. I'm using the device, the emulator provided by Tizen IDE and the Emulator provided by
Samsung (for more information, please refer to Samsung Developer).
If you are developing Tizen Web, you can use the emulator and just hit F12, and your beloved tools will show up.
Intelisense, code hinting, code completion... it's also a pain.. so most of the times, I'm using Visual Studio Code (https://code.visualstudio.com/) for editing / writing code, and then, run on Tizen IDE.
Visual Studio Code, for the ones who don't know, is a free open source solution, that provides awesome code/scripting support, for MACOS, Linux and imagine, Windows :), give it a try, it won't bite you.
I had a little struggle with the certificates, both for developer and device, but once you pass that, you're ready to go.
To pair the Wearable device, I must disconnect Bluetooth, connect Wi-Fi and then, on the ID, add the IP and port.
- "So you sell an awesome title and don't say anything good".
Wow, another excellent question, you're rocking! So, I'm just letting you know that, you'll need some effort to start.
Now I'm already messing up with things, I can start a solution (web for wearables) and play around with that. For Samsung Wearables, you can have a "Stand Alone" solution or "Companion", this last one, uses the mobile device and wearable, as the first don't need the mobile device at all, for instance, if you design a watch, calculator, game, or anything else. For more information, please refer to (http://developer.samsung.com/gear).
Both on Tizen website and Samsung, on the links provided above, you'll get a few samples to get started and understand the mechanics of it. In the 2.4 SDK IDE, you may, using the Update Manager download samples and extras.. etc.
As I get more experience and knowledge I'll be sharing with you guys. Since you can start a solution with a sample, both on Mobile and Wearable and Native or Web, and one of them is the mythic "Hello World", I think you'll do great, yet, I will share soon a "Hello Tizen World" Tutorial.
Please feel free to share your thoughts, experiences and other, I will do my best to get the best answer / solution.
Ricardo