This is a collection of simple example programs for the msp430 launchpad.

http://www.ti.com/launchpadwiki

You need to get some documents there.  The LaunchPad users guide and the
MSP430x2xx Family Users Guide.

A few choices for software tools.

For assembly language only:

1) http://www.mikekohn.net/micro/naken430asm_msp430_assembler.php
download source and install

2) http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/binutils/
As of this writing binutils-2.21.1a is the latest greatest

untar

./configure --target=msp430 --prefix=/path/to/somewhere/
make
make install
add /path/to/somewhere/bin to your PATH.  Or perhaps dont use the
--prefix configure option

3) mspgcc4 provides binutils.

For assembly and/or C

mspgcc4 used to be newer/better but as of this writing that project
refers you to mspgcc.

http://mspgcc.sourceforge.net

Nowhere near as easy as mspgcc4 was, instructions are in the patch
files themselves.  You only need binutils and gcc.

Newer ubuntu and mint distros include mspgcc simply apt-get them
sudo apt-get install gcc-msp430 binutils-msp430 msp430mcu


For building on ubuntu you may need to:
sudo apt-get install build-essential libgmp-dev libmpfr-dev libmpc-dev

These examples or at least their make files are linux based.  To
program the msp430 launchpad board, mspdebug works well.

http://mspdebug.sourceforge.net
git clone git://git.code.sf.net/p/mspdebug/code

You may want/need to use the no readline option:

make WITHOUT_READLINE=1

Newer ubuntu and mint distros include mspdebug
sudo apt-get install mspdebug

As of this writing the apt-got version doesnt work for the f5529 (and
other) launchpad.  to use mspdebug to load the f5529 board then hold
the bsl button, and press reset.  Or hold the bsl button while plugging
in power.

mspdebug load-bsl
prog file.hex
exit

The original (msp430) launchpad used the rf2500 driver and that is
available in the apt-got version.