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wylie

Developers go to hackathons because they like to build things. What could be simpler to understand?

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Kinda like this...

Dear Hackers,

Here is the challenge:

Please create the next killer app, and give all the rights to me so I can take all of your work and make a bundle of cash. I know you like building things, and I like making money. Seems like a good arrangement to me. I might even throw in a free T-shirt.

You've been going to the wrong hackathons then. If you look hard enough you'll find some where you don't need to sign anything, and if you can't find any, start planning one.

And that is what this post is about. Looking hard enough.

In my experience it's the other way around. None of the hackathons I've been to in the UK have asked for rights. I'm sure if you looked you could find one, but clearly most aren't stupid enough to try.

Throw in free Pizza and a few beers and I'll be there.

I would relish the opportunity to meet new people and work on something different.

Wait... Who in their right mind would work for free on someone else's project? And sign away the ownership of the code (non open source) for them to profit from?

Every programmer I know have more ideas than they will ever have time to finish. Why would they do something like that?

With the (hollow) promise of riches, connections or whatever else appeals to the young programmer.

I understand that. It doesn't mean they're not being used though. If you want to build something, it's much better to get your friends together for a private session, then something put on by an events company or an incubator. As someone who used to put on events, I can speak with authority on motives: most Hackathons are just an attempt to sell more tickets to an event - not a genuine opportunity for Developers to build things.

I'm guessing that a big attraction is that these events provide motivation. It's like telling an athlete that if they want to exercise, they can do so any time on their own. There's no need to go to the olympics to do it there. However, most likely wouldn't mind being used because the benefits go both ways.

I'm confused. Do people pay to attend hackathons? I can understand a contribution to costs (ie for pizza etc) if there are no sponsors but paying seems odd.

I've run one hackathon myself and it most of the feedback I got was quite positive. Off the top of my head, the things that people liked were; the chance to meet/work with new folks in a low-risk way, to try out some new tech/language/framework that they'd never got round to, do something within a short deadline.

Overall, it went pretty well and it I don't think anyone was (or felt) 'used'.

Event organizers often attach a hackathon to their show in order to sell more tickets.

You say that several times, but the only time I've seen that it worked out the other way around. The conference had twice as many attendees as the hackathon; it was clear what more people were interested in. I realise one data-point is not proof, but you also haven't produced anything to back up your assertion.

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