Hack-a-day events

I have just attended a meeting in which a presentation was given expounding upon the great value of having a "hack-a-day" event, where lots of keen programmers with fresh ideas get together and try to create code in three days (or less) in an intensive and collaborative environment. Great. It has the major advantage of getting new ideas into a workable state in a short period of time.

The thing it doesn't provide is a finished product. This is sometimes not clearly understood by the people sponsoring the event. What you get may operate, but it is "hacked" together, exactly as you might expect of code written hastily by a group. It is best to think of a hacked together application, or app, as an example of what might be created for genuine use - a proof of concept. Like building a house in a week without plans or building regulations approval- it might look great, but how will it look in a year- and will it electrocute you?

A hacked together solution will not work reliably- it will not be documented, and it will not be supportable. It will also not be secure. But if you take it as what it is intended to be - an example of what you could produce- it saves you a lot of time and money by telling you that the goal may well be attainable in the production world, as long as you start from scratch and develop a supportable, documented, suitably secure version of your "hack". Using my analogy above, you need to get planning permission, electrical testing and qualified builders to build a house you would be happy to live in.