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torvald

Hackerspaces!

Check this list [0], maybe there is one close to you – and if you by any chance live in Oslo – swing by Hackeriet [1].

[0] https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/List_of_Hacker_Spaces

[1] https://hackeriet.no/index.en.html

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Out of interest, do you find many working on software projects at hacker spaces? Each one I've looked at online seems to have more of a focus on hardware, electronics, metal/wood working with little mention of software. The caveat is that I've only really looked at UK based ones so this may be regional.

I've been trying to find a space that has a similar energy as my old university CS lab. There was a bit of a perfect time in my final year, whereafter 2+ years most people seemed to know each other and at the same time everyone was specialising in their degree. So you could walk into the lab and find people working deep in their own game engine code, others would be working on ML models and others may be working on mobile apps or websites. But with a sense of overall camaraderie and sharing of what you're working on and why.

I suppose it just sounds like I'm describing something like a WeWork but when I've attended those they seem much more employee focused and I rarely saw employees of different companies talk to each other.

I also realise that some of what I describe is often fulfilled by talking to others at your workplace, I'm fully remote so I am missing out on that part.

If anyone knows of anything similar to what I describe above in or near London feel free to reach out to the email in my profile!

The "open source club" events at the Chaitin School [0] sound like what you're looking for, but I don't think there are events on over the summer.

[0]: https://chaitinschool.org/

I remember someone programming some visuals in vvvv for the first time I'd ever seen that at a hackerspace some years ago in Vancouver, BC which was in some sketchy alley where you hollered up at them and they lowered a key on a pulley. I think you might find some interest taking advantage of the fact that there's so much hardware and electronics around and learning something from them. There's a likelihood that there is someone in there who could use a hand with whatever they're doing in there on the software end too.

For what you're more closely describing I've found local programming meetups in a few major cities that happen at local bars and restaurants to be like that, mostly just people coming in and working on their projects (Either personal or together), maybe not on the same level as what you had in uni but definitely worth checking out too.

I go to my local hackerspace a couple times a week and there's nearly always a few people working on software, and just there for the social aspects and/or to bounce ideas/solutions off others.

Look for local meetups, that's where you can find people who want to engage more broadly. Appropriate spaces may host these, or you may be able to find out about good hangouts from other meetup attendees.

In hackerspaces, I find that software-focused people have different patterns of use than tool focused people. They need to sit down for some focus time, which is hard to distinguish from just browsing from afar. When people use tools, it's clear to see. Speaking from experience with SF/Noisebridge, Oakland/SudoRoom-Omni-commons, Sacramento/Hacker Lab, and visiting some spaces while traveling.

Hackerspaces are awesome!

Im quite active at https://k-space.ee in Tallinn, Estonia.

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