I use a hackathon to...
* Sync up with what else is going on
* Make long standing hard/bikeshed/warnock'd decisions
* Remind myself that there are people behind the emails
* Be a resource for Test::*, TAP, MakeMaker, build...
* Hack away at code, particularly long standing issues which
haven't been getting attention.
QA Hackathons are often my most days of the year. What I'm looking for
is the ability to focus on the hackathon without worrying about the
necessaries like food, water, internet, power, tables, chairs,
whiteboards, caffeine, bedding, transport... you get the idea.
That said, none of it has to be fancy. The TravelLodge was just fine.
Clean bed. Good shower. Bus to the venue. I don't expect great food
either, just something to keep me going for the weekend.
To that end, the Lancaster team did a lovely job. From being shuttled
from the train to the hotel (I was a bit embarrassed once I saw how
short a walk it was), to the wonderful spread of food and drinks, to the
packet of maps and information (I liked the potted history) to the
little details like phone numbers on the name badges. Claire, Ian, Mark
and any other Shadowcats were wonderful hosts.
On 4/17/13 11:49 AM, Salve J Nilsen wrote:
> Here are the good bits (please keep):
All that, just s{coffee}{tea}. :)
> Here are the bits that would be nice to improve at the next hackathon:
I generally agree with everything Salve said.
I kind of enjoyed having everyone in the same room. People and groups
weren't isolated. I could lean over or walk over to talk to who I
needed. I could hear my name being taken in vain. Sub-projects seemed
to have their own spaces. I didn't feel cramped and I didn't feel
overwhelmed by the noise. However, I'd understand if others didn't like
it. Perhaps one room, but a larger one.
Definitely would like longer access to the site, or a clear alternative
hacking site. A quiet pub next to the hotel is ok.
One thing I would recommend changing is less lavish dinners. They were
absolutely lovely, but I felt they detracted from hacking time. I don't
think we made it out of the Thai place until after 11pm. Perhaps one
lavish dinner at the start, to get everybody talking, and for the rest
we get take away served at the site. Maybe one on the last night. More
time to hack.
For the international travelers, perhaps we could register who will be
needing a SIM card, and what kind, so we only have to do one run to the
shops. And thank you Ian for sorting that for me.
Finally, as much concrete information about the hackathon as early as
possible. At least the date and city for travel planning purposes. The
details of this one were announced quite late for international travel
or having to take time off work.
Thanks so much to hackathon organizers past, present and future.
