help getting started

This is my first post

SMIL looks like a great idea but unfortunately like most great ideas it
does not seem to have been rapid,ly adopted.

The website has lots of links but if someone could guide me, it could
really cut down on th time needed to get setup.

Please tell me the best player for Linux?

I guess everything can be done in a text editor but please tell me your
favorite authoring tool again on the Linux platform.

Thanks in advance-Patrick