Hey Ben.
First off, the VM password is: password. It's provided to you sometime while you obtain the VM.
Concerning the programming, a healthy knowledge of Javascript is ESSENTIAL. If you don't have any experience with Javascript, start here:
http://www.w3schools.com/js/(Disclosure: I'm a huge fan of W3 and frequently use them as a resource).
Once/If you know JS, you can program for the Y!Connected platform. There are some nuances, but you'll essentially be building Javascript objects that are rendered onscreen by the engine. A healthy understanding of scope is almost as required as the language itself. When you start writing code, take some time and experiment a bit to learn how objects reference themselves and others.
Of course, Y! has provided developers with some documentation:
http://developer.yahoo.com/connectedtv/devguide/YWE_TV_Widget_Developer.pdf
I found the official documentation too wordy and convoluted to be much help but YMMV. There are definitely dozens of helpful snippets (snicker) buried within but be prepared to dig and find info in places you might not initially expect. The forums are another good resource but don't expect a timely answer; I don't believe there's any official support here and often times, the advice goes no further than s to consult the documentation. That said, a number of people have posted their issues/questions and left a vast array of knowledge. If you find yourself with an unexplored problem and find an answer, don't forget to post your solution for those who will follow!
I really REALLY recommend Eclipse as your code editor within the VM. It's a more extendable and customizable than gedit and gprovides you a nice clear interface. To install within Ubuntu, open a terminal and enter these commands one by one:
add-apt-repository ppa:yogarine/eclipse/ubuntu
apt-get update apt-get install eclipse-pdt
Enter the admin password (password) if prompted and accept any additional packages you might need. It's a good sized download, so start it before you make lunch, go on break, etc.
Welcome to development for the Y! Connected platform. If you have any more questions, let the forums know!
QUOTE
(Ben Pietsch @ 22 Sep 2011 5:14 AM)Hi all,
first, I´m a real noob to this whole topic but want to dive a bit into it.
Unfortunately I think I have to start completely from scratch, so hope my posts wont be considered as too dumb :)
I am already struggeling getting into the environenment, as I am prompted for a Admin Passwort which I neither was asked to provide at any point nor I know where to find it. What can I do here ? Leaving blank or trying defaults like "Admin" results in "authentification failure"
Again, sry for this rookie question but I need to start at some point, right ?
BTW, can someone propose good literature to get the needed basic programming skills ?
Thanks, Ben
