Symbian development on Linux

Java development is a relatively smooth experience on linux using Nokia's native SDKs for Java. In stark contrast is the C++ development, which has had very little support from the Nokia/Symbian camp. This pages attempts to provide some guidelines for the aspiring C++ developer, targeting Symbian phones and using Linux as the development platform.

Getting sdk2linux working for Symbian 1st edition phones

Thankfully, to get a usable toolchain working most of the heavy lifting has been done by Rudolf König.

I believe his sdk2linux works fine for Symbian 7.0 or later phones. These are also referred to as Symbian 2nd edition phones. Nokia 6600 was Nokia's first model in this category.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing 1.11.2005 the Symbian 6.1 toolchain is broken. You are in luck though, the following instructions should help you to get it working. Some of the most common phones are still Symbian 6.1, notably Nokia 3650, 3660, N-Gage.

These instructions are for Mandrake 10.2, or Mandriva 2005 as it is also named

1. Ensure prerequisites, install bison, flex, :

$ sudo urpmi bison flex unshield