Blind Hackhaton – code ninjas in the making [INTERVIEW]
Remember those days before all the compilers, processors, libraries and other help tools for creating websites? Blind Hackhaton will try to put word ‘skill’ inside code writing. Only you and text editor. We bring you a hefty interview with the organizers so check out what’s cooking in the beautiful city of Osijek.
No browser, no processor, no terminal, no gulps, no grunts – only you, text editor and good old HTML, CSS and JavaScript! If you want to test your coding skills and become a true ninja make sure to drag your ass to Osijek on November 3d and impress the judges on first Blind Hackhaton. But beware! Our very own Marina Mijatović is one of the judges and she will test your design skills, so make sure not to forget your aesthetics at home. Neuralab is proud to be a sponsor for this event.
RULES:
- 8 hours of coding
- 1 person
- 1 subject
- various code snippets on board
- everybody gets boot live Arch Linux USB with preinstalled text editor, html5 boilerplate, css reset i jquery
- 1 winner
We’ve hooked up with one of the organizers from Front_end Meetup Osijek, Mihael Tomić, and asked them a few questions.
How did you come up with Blind Hackathon?
Mihael: Hi, Neuralab! The idea for Blind Hackathon came spontaneously, after many laughs we thought: “Well, this might be awesome!”. I’m not familiar with another concept like ours, but I’m sure there must be one somewhere in the world.
Can you describe us the whole process? What is the scope of workshops?
Mihael: We will provide every competitor with a live (Arch Linux) USB*. It’s stripped off of all unnecessary things, like browser :), and internet connection. When you plug it in you’re on your own with the text editor (Atom in our case). Of course, we will provide some base assets like images, jQuery, fonts, color picker, CSS reset, and HTML5 boilerplate. We’re still brainstorming about a hackathon theme, but it won’t be something too serious. Also, every competitor will have two previews during hackathon to see how their code looks like in the browser.
* Shout out to Hrvoje Leventić for making our wishes reality!
What is your agenda regarding the whole thing? Any secret goals, dreams or wishes? 🙂
Mihael: Connections. We would like to see a good fun and great atmosphere. We’re all hard working designers, developers, etc. and there’s a little time for a real laughter. We want everyone to relax, enjoy and do their best. This is not an ordinary hackathon 🙂
What do you expect from the judges? How much attention will be directed towards visual aspect oppose to technical features?
Mihael: Judges will have a difficult task I believe. Some competitor may have more skill in coding, and other in design. We’ll see what prevails. Every CSS rule, naming, structure, semantics, visual design, grid, typography, code complexity and most the important project completion count.
Are you satisfied with ‘software scene’ in Osijek? What can be done better?
Mihael: We’re fortunate to have Osijek Software City organization. They’re pushing IT scene in Osijek and our region and the best of all – they have a free workshops, events, seminars and high-school education through the year where everyone’s invited. You can hear almost every (modern) IT topic on their events. Some things could be better; we would like to see more and more “fresh” faces on events. I know that Osijek needs some time to build up a large community, but for now, we’re satisfied with how things progress in Osijek.
What is Front end OS group exactly? What are your future goals and plans?
Mihael: Front_end Meetup Osijek is an (unofficial) group of code and design enthusiasts. We’re organizing meetups on (almost) monthly base, and our goal is to present advanced and quality topics like React, Angular, PostCSS, digital typography, code semantics, etc. The purpose of FMOS is to increase the number of meetups, make more events as this hackathon and provide an incubator for those who want to share something new with the community.
What does the future hold?
Mihael: Bigger, bolder event, larger prizes, and a lot more fun while coding!