31–40 of 73 posts
They have been absolutely vital for building team cohesion in the sprawling open source efforts, and consistently produce good plans for the work that happens after we leave the event. Project launches also happen at these gatherings.
You just have to make sure everyone is engaged, knows each other, and what they're working on. Plan ahead, and arrive with code.
I disagree. Hackathons are sprints, and just like have the occasional sprint workout can be a great way to augment your distance running routine, hackathons can be great for augmenting your software development routine. Here are some reasons why I like taking part in a hackathon event (assuming the goal is to produce some sort of web application): - Tradeoffs are easy. You have no time for bells or whistles. You cons…
I will say that I, as a physics student, mentally crunched the numbers in my head when I saw a recent Wired article. It said: Consider the action around Apple’s iOS alone: Since its 2007 debut, 500,000 applications have generated $3 billion for developers. (Android’s 400,000 apps have earned around $100 million.) ... It costs $5,000 to throw an event for 100 participants—a tiny investment considering the payoff if a…
I've never actually been to any hackday where they kept the submissions. The only one I've been to that was really organised by a particular tech company, they obviously tried to get you to use their platform but said you didn't have to (some didn't and it was fine). Is this common?
I will say that I, as a physics student, mentally crunched the numbers in my head when I saw a recent Wired article. It said: Consider the action around Apple’s iOS alone: Since its 2007 debut, 500,000 applications have generated $3 billion for developers. (Android’s 400,000 apps have earned around $100 million.) ... It costs $5,000 to throw an event for 100 participants—a tiny investment considering the payoff if a…
> Do they keep all of the submissions I've never actually been to any hackday where they kept the submissions. The only one I've been to that was really organised by a particular tech company, they obviously tried to get you to use their platform but said you didn't have to (some didn't and it was fine). Is this common?
Starting in 2007 we started holding Haskell hackathons twice a year. They have been absolutely vital for building team cohesion in the sprawling open source efforts, and consistently produce good plans for the work that happens after we leave the event. Project launches also happen at these gatherings. You just have to make sure everyone is engaged, knows each other, and what they're working on. Plan ahead, and arriv…
For OpenBSD, the developers are all working as a team on a central project, but usually have sub-projects or tasks related to OpenBSD that they've been working on independently prior to the event. They bring their code to work on or debug, they meet new developers that are normally scattered around the world, test code on different machines, discuss new projects, and socialize (which usually brings out more ideas). Most of the time, those ideas aren't finished at the end of the event, but they've been given some direction and help or have been inspired to start on something new.
The hackathons that Winer is writing about are basically just competitions to see who can throw something together in 24 hours or however long the event is. The ones I've seen put on by Facebook and Twilio seem like nothing more than marketing for their own products, and the developers get some marketing for themselves by winning the competitions.
It's like a jam session for musicians. It's a way to immerse yourself in the art of creating. 99% of all jam sessions are probably crap, but maybe, just maybe, you'll get that one killer riff that will be the basis of your next hit song.
In the same way, yes, I'm pretty sure that there won't be any Angry Bird 2.0's coming out of a hackathon, but maybe the beginnings of an idea that could lead to the next great app will be born from one.
Starting in 2007 we started holding Haskell hackathons twice a year. They have been absolutely vital for building team cohesion in the sprawling open source efforts, and consistently produce good plans for the work that happens after we leave the event. Project launches also happen at these gatherings. You just have to make sure everyone is engaged, knows each other, and what they're working on. Plan ahead, and arriv…
I've been to an OpenBSD hackathon (which has been doing them since 1999) and I think those and the Haskell hackathons differ from many of these new events that people are calling hackathons. For OpenBSD, the developers are all working as a team on a central project, but usually have sub-projects or tasks related to OpenBSD that they've been working on independently prior to the event. They bring their code to work on…
Hackathons are primarily a way for companies to more easily identify good developer hire candidates, and likewise, for developers to make new connections and promote themselves. Everything else is a shared lie and/or a distand second in importance.