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If you ever wondered where lots of cool software comes from… it comes from right around where I’m hanging out this weekend.
I’m at Startup Weekend Silicon Valley. It’s my fourth weekend startup event in 2009. I’m on a team working on a fashion application we’re calling Dress Me Sue (“Closet full of clothes, nothing to wear”).
So what’s it like?
100+ people crammed into Hacker Dojo, a tilt wall warehouse in Mountain View California dedicated to fast code development in a shared space of like-minded hackers.
We’re set up with laptops around a bunch of conference tables. It’s a little too warm upstairs, a little too cold downstairs.
Pizza. Beer. Coffee at midnight.
Some very, very bright people hammering on very, very good ideas. Very loud Phutureprimitive downtempo in the headphones, using Skype to communicate with team members sitting at the same table.
I’ve been to a lot of conferences. Startup Weekend is only conference I’ve been to where everyone leaves with more than they brought. Not everyone is successful building a viable business, but the experience and the networking are incredible.
And there is a team prototyping their application in WordPress. The StacyPlease (@stacyplease) folks don’t have a single programmer on their team, but between the 6 of them, they have been able to hack through the WordPress code base to get what they want. It’s pretty crazy really. They’re using the builtin WordPress theme editor and using FTP to share files with each other.
From a software engineering point of view, that’s crazy and hideous… they’re modifying actual WordPress tables! Yikes! But really, it’s hilarious. I think they’re having at least as much fun as anyone else at Startup Weekend.
I don’t like to post on Saturday or Sunday, but I’m making an exception because I’m having so much fun, and I think most of you would have a blast at an event like this. Maybe not for cutting code, but perhaps for blogging. Wish you were here.
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{ 9 comments }
Hey
Nice blog, just wondering how do you get the:
(Reading time: 2 – 2 minutes)
is its a plugin?
@Ben – Estimated Reading Time, but I’ve tweaked it a little too. It does have a bug, I should fix it.
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..DIY WordPress: 3 Reasons You Should Learn To Code
Very cool, feel free to check out my blog
Ben Lang´s last blog ..10 Reasons why eBay Sucks for Sellers
So glad you have enjoyed it, and how far it has come.
Andrew Hyde´s last blog ..How To Plan an Ignite
cool. that looks so interesting to join!
Kelvin Servigon´s last blog ..The Advantages and Disadvantages of Having a Web Hosting Account (For Free)
If you have a BlogUp Weekend, count me in.
Deacon´s last blog ..Be An Artist: Get a Sketch Book Today
@Ben – Thanks for stopping by.
@Andrew – You have created a monster! I plan on helping Kevin out for Spring 2010.
@Kelvin – You should organize one in your area.
@ Deacon – Stay tuned. I’m thinking Hacker Dojo in Mtn View.
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..Stop It! Three Things to Stop Doing In Your PPC Campaign
Eek! Prototyping using WP sounds horrible! Surely CodeIgniter, Cake or one of the other frameworks is a much easier PHP option? Much as I like WP, doesn’t seem like the way to use it, and besides, the codebase isn’t the cleanest by a long shot.
Nice blog, glad I found it!
Cheers, Steve.
@Steve – There is no way that team would have made any progress at all had they attempted to use CodeIgniter or Cake. They came close to shipping, and the WordPress code they modified and extended could easily be wrapped in a plugin, then refactored into PHP code running on an arbitrary platform.
Glad you like Website In A Weekend!
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..DIY WordPress: Creating Sidebars On-the-Fly in WordPress
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