IT Hackathon opened at the Yakutia International Science Games. Participants should create an application on a given topic, in total there are 19 topics. The correspondent Danil Parnikov found out what is happening in this competition and at the same time asked everything about programming for beginners. All questions were answered by the organizer of the hackathon Alexander Daurkin.
What is Hackathon?
Hackathon- is a competition where you solve the problems using special apps. Programs are created in a very short time – in a day or two. Organizers give tasks to the participants and then evaluate the best results. It all starts with an idea, the code is written, and the design appears in the finale. At the same time, someone has to manage the development process — this is a job for a manager.
I don’t understand anything in programming. Should I participate?
In the Hackathon, main thing is desire. You can try yourself in an online hackathon, school or regional competition. You do not even need to be a programmer to participate. If you are good at managing people, then you can be a team manager. If you are good at composing and graphics, you can take on the role of a designer. If you know programming language, you can act as a developer. These are the three main roles in the team for the Hackaton.
Look at this competition as at game. You can gather friends or go alone and join at the place. Nobody expects your application to work perfectly — «jambs» always happen. It is important to have a good idea and a basis for development.
What hardware should I bring along?
Usually in Hakathon the participants bring their equipment with pre-installed programs and tools. But even if you have no computer, you can always count on a laptop and a pre-set set of basic programs. Often, a powerful computer is not required for programming, in contrast to 3D modeling (it will require a graphics card more powerful and with a bigger RAM). The minimum for development is a 64-bit version of Windows (for aesthetes — Linux), and advanced ones use a virtual machine to simulate the launch on different operating systems. As a matter of fact it is a computer in the computer.
What sphere is in demand today in programming?
Nowadays, the Data Science (the science of data) is trending. It is used in personalized advertising: the more the system knows about the user, the more accurate will be its suggestions. This is how advertising works in the Internet: you enter a query in the search engine, and after a while, what you are looking for will fly out in advertising. It is curious how data science helps «the ears from the Snapchat» to properly «stand up» on the face. The more selfie done with this mask, the more accurate the following photos will be. But the data is created for more: it studies the problems of analysis and works with large volumes of information, it is a kind of «artificial intelligence» in the bud.
What do I need to know before I start programming?
For studying it is necessary to choose not old and time-tested programming language, but new and perspective one. Although there will be a problem with the lack of educational material. If this frightens you, study Java Script and Python. These are relatively flexible and popular languages. There are a lot of data, teaching aids and resources on them at github.com. In general, do not look for something on one site — let Google do it for you.
Anywaym I’m worried. How to believe in myself?
First of all: don’t be lazy, secondly: always develop, thirdly: do not be afraid to copy, and finally: practice more. And most importantly: do programming not for pampering, but develop worthwhile projects.
Danil Parnikov,
Translation: Konstantin Popov