(Image Credit Naukri )

We have a hackathon on January 14 at IIT Mumbai as part of technext. What exactly is a hackathon? What do you do in it? Is it a team event? If yes, what are team sizes? Here are some of the frequently asked questions and its answers.Q1 to Q5 copied from quora by Harishita Girase   (Quora Profile )

Q1 What is a hackathon? – A hackathon is usually a day long coding competition where software programmers, developers, designers, etc. come together to build and design something cool.

Q2 Who can attend ? – Anyone interested in programming and to learn new solutions can. even business people / Product Managers can attend.

Q3 But isn’t hacking illegal? – The word “hack” has so much negativity attached to it that most people think hackathons are a way to “hack” into something.NO Actually hacking is doing something in a unconventional manner. Hacking is basically building something. It could be anything.

Q4 Do I need to have relevant programming experience? – NO. We hold workshops throughout the hackathon for anyone who is new to programming or someone who wishes to learn more about a particular topic. Mentors will also available . So if you come to our hackathon without knowing what you want to do, that’s totally fine because you will have these mentors at your service to help and guide you.

Q5 Is it a team event? – Yes. So the whole point of forming teams and working on a project gives you the opportunity to work in a real life setting. Seriously, that’s how it works in the industry. You have to learn to work with people from different background, different skill set, etc. What better way than a hackathon to get used to it?  Teams will include a maximum of 5 people. You can work all by yourself but we would highly recommend you work in a team. You’ll learn a lot. If you don’t know anyone at the hackathon, that’s okay. We will have “Meet-and-Greet” events before the actual event where you get to talk to attendees and look for teammates.

(Below image source : http://mashable.com/2013/11/01/launch-hackathon/#ZBIljo2AvaqD)hackathon-peopleQ6 What are the themes for creating products / programs? – Themes planned are AI, Blockchain and IoT. However we want to keep it flexible as possible. Problem statements will be given before the event which you need to prepare solutions. Microsoft will provide Azure cloud instances, you can practice on it if you wish to learn Azure.

Q7 What will happen on the day ?  We meet Saturday 14th Morning. After Meet and greet. we have tech sessions . problem statement sessions till 12.00 . However tech workshops may continue throughout the day. You start coding post 12.00. The venue will close late evening, you may continue coding at your residences. Also work on a brief presentation.

Q8 What will happen next day ? Teams will present the solution (Sunday 15th) We decide the timing on 14th. Winners will get goodies

Q9 Why one should attend a hackathon : 

  1. Meet new people
  2. Demonstrate your tech skills
  3. Showcasing of own code
  4. Opportunity to get internship and may be interview appointment
  5. Learn New Skills

Q9. Is it free or chargeable  event : We are a volunteer driven event and quite vendor neutral. If their is nominal fee it will be to cover food and beverage. However attempt is made to keep it as low as possible.

Interesting Video of Facebook College Hackathon is below :

I am attaching some links from Microsoft to study, pre event and more information will be on its way :

Bots

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/microsoft-azure-announces-industry-s-first-cloud-bot-as-a-service/

https://docs.botframework.com/en-us/azure-bot-service/

 IOT

https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/cloud-platform/internet-of-things

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/suites/iot-suite/

 Xamarin Forms (Cross Platform Mobile Development)

https://www.xamarin.com/forms

https://developer.xamarin.com/guides/xamarin-forms/getting-started/introduction-to-xamarin-forms/

 App Services

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/services/app-service/

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/app-service-mobile/app-service-mobile-xamarin-forms-get-started

 Cognitive Services

https://www.microsoft.com/cognitive-services

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/services/cognitive-services/

 ML

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/machine-learning/

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/services/machine-learning/

 Blockchain

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-in/solutions/blockchain/

Below are links to register

1. Startup Event : https://goo.gl/forms/Cx4gLMfkL8UsNi2I3  Jan 14 2nd half

2. Hackathon : https://goo.gl/forms/jdoC8XHQ04gJmsu22   Jan 14 morning onwards

Please leave a comment below if you have any. My name is Ajit Joshi and please check my website www.techxpla.com ; tweet me @AjitGJoshi or write to me on joshiajit@outlook.com