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Last post Author Topic: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!  (Read 42658 times)

lotusrootstarch

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #25 on: April 16, 2010, 05:56 AM »
Hmm, have u guys got the feeling that NANY is becoming a yearly drill and to the majority of event participants there is no enthusiasm there?

This is probably an small indication of a bigger problem... that DC is on the decline (in terms of readership, participation and external press) and people are losing curiosity, interest and sense of attachment (for some) that they used to have.

Wakey wakey guys.
Get my apps in Android Market! Go droids go! :)


cranioscopical

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #26 on: April 16, 2010, 09:05 PM »
Can I interest you in an array of second-class applications? Any takers?
-Cranioscopical
True: it wasn't meant to infer lesser class -- just different. Suggestions?
-Perry
Maybe "extended entry"? .. to me that doesn't convey any distinction in quality, merely that the entry contains something more. Of course I am not a native English speaker
-Jibz

I am a native English speaker and "extended entry" seems to me to be a good fit.

I'd like to take this chance to say that the stewardship provided by Perry looks already to be as outstanding this year as it was last.

TucknDar

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #27 on: April 17, 2010, 03:53 AM »
Hmm, have u guys got the feeling that NANY is becoming a yearly drill and to the majority of event participants there is no enthusiasm there?

This is probably an small indication of a bigger problem... that DC is on the decline (in terms of readership, participation and external press) and people are losing curiosity, interest and sense of attachment (for some) that they used to have.

Wakey wakey guys.
-lotusrootstarch (April 16, 2010, 05:56 AM)
Interesting, I'd like to see the statistical evidence you surely must have to support your claims :tellme:

lotusrootstarch

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #28 on: April 17, 2010, 11:44 PM »
Hey Tuck, I don't mean to offend anyone here rly and actually I donated to the site back quite a while ago.

I'd be very interested in seeing most recent stats but I doubt that stats speak much. There're things that you just have to feel.

Well, some questions to provoke thoughts:

1. Has DC got much change in general site look and feel, number of active participants compared with itself 3 years ago?

I say the no. of active chatters on the forums have been dropping and obviously in diversity as well - you can tell by seeing posting from ppl in the "clique" again and again and again, on almost any thread, and sometimes you can just simply foretell what they are gonna say, very predictable.

2. Is there any new additional software on the site that appeal to the general audienc... in the last 3 years?
Please... lol r u kidding me? ppl are donating for maintenance and bug fixes, not for innovations.

Oh and for the NANY, it's going fast downhill, I mean fast... There were serious projects that generated tons of public interest, like CircleDock, Trout just to name a few. Now if you look at NANY year 2009 and in particular 2010, the event has kinda evolved into a compulsory annual mug distribution thing and performance gets evaluation by counting how many mugs get sent this year, compared year over year -- it's somehow like saying "come up with whatever carp or mini-carp we'll send u some same old gift that never changes to mark the event. see ya next year for the same thing."

It did not surprise me that virtually no meaningful publicity generated out of NANY 2010, if you are a blogger looking at the list there's nothing write about so just move on. Despite the fact that all these coders were so kind to give up their Xmas and NY holidays to work on something that's even got a "deadline", don't you sense the boredom, joylessness in there, and probably in the eyes of many -- involuntariness. It's not me speaking for coders, but it's their programs themselves that speak this out.
Get my apps in Android Market! Go droids go! :)

« Last Edit: April 17, 2010, 11:48 PM by lotusrootstarch »

Perry Mowbray

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #29 on: April 18, 2010, 04:11 AM »
I'd be very interested in seeing most recent stats but I doubt that stats speak much. There're things that you just have to feel.
-lotusrootstarch (April 17, 2010, 11:44 PM)

Are these stats to be believed? http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/donationcoder.com; but I agree, we're not after numbers but a good experience for entrants, members and other users.

There were serious projects that generated tons of public interest, like CircleDock, Trout just to name a few. Now if you look at NANY year 2009 and in particular 2010, the event has kinda evolved into a compulsory annual mug distribution thing and performance gets evaluation by counting how many mugs get sent this year, compared year over year -- it's somehow like saying "come up with whatever carp or mini-carp we'll send u some same old gift that never changes to mark the event. see ya next year for the same thing."
-lotusrootstarch (April 17, 2010, 11:44 PM)

Trout came from NANY 2009... but are you saying that you think that we should be encouraging more serious software?

Certainly, we've discussed points similar to that that you've mentioned and I think we're agreed that NANY had developed in ways we're not entirely happy with: hence this and previous discussions. But I'm struggling to find actual concrete suggestions from you that we could consider implementing?

We're keen to make NANY a great event for entrants and users alike. Or are you saying it's past its use-by-date?

TucknDar

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #30 on: April 18, 2010, 05:13 AM »
Hey Tuck, I don't mean to offend anyone here rly and actually I donated to the site back quite a while ago.
-lotusrootstarch (April 17, 2010, 11:44 PM)
No offence taken ;) But I guess I see it quite differently than you do. I really don't see any kind of "DC decline", unless perhaps one thinks of DC as "just" the home of mouser's software and the fact that there are no new programs coming from mouser recently, but instead bug fixes and and added features. I think of DC as something more, though, even if I was originally drawn here by FARR and ScreenshotCaptor IIRC. Now, it's more of a place to have friendly discussions, advice etc. mostly concerning software. And again, I don't see the decline that you do.

Btw, I do agree that you don't necessarily need to provide any statistical evidence, the "feeling" you refer to is also an indicator, but I feel differently from you ;)


mouser

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #31 on: April 18, 2010, 05:23 AM »
I think we can take some comfort in DC not feeling like we are in a rat-race to grow bigger.. If we continue to provide a fun family for each other, and a place that is of occasional value to the rest of the internet, and continue to produce an occasional surprising gem, that is something to be proud of.  I think DC has always had a bit of an ebb and flow to it, and if you're not feeling particularly impressed with DC lately, lotusroot, hopefully that will be just a temporary thing :)

mouser

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #32 on: April 18, 2010, 05:32 AM »
Back to NANY (but not unrelated to the latest tangent), I am becoming a convert to the Simple-Is-Better position advocated in this thread, which is a bit of a reversal from my position at the start of this discussion.

It is my view that we should encourage more DC members who are coders to work on more substantial applications for NANY -- to use NANY as motivation to start a new programming project they've been putting off.

But I think now that rather than trying to codify that in the rules/deadlines/etc., we should try to keep the procedure for participating in NANY as simple as we possibly can, and do this "encouragement" informally.

lotusrootstarch

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #33 on: April 18, 2010, 05:45 AM »
but are you saying that you think that we should be encouraging more serious software?
-Perry Mowbray (April 18, 2010, 04:11 AM)

Absolutely but the outlook on this may be bleak.

If you read this article writen by mouser published in April 2006:
https://www.donation...icles/One/index.html

I had an account on this site early in 2006 and my understanding was that the article dealt with real-life problems and solutions at DC at the time but more importantly pursuing something (donationware as a concept maybe?) that was obviously larger than the site itself. It looked to me as an experiment pioneering ways to develop donationware sustainably.

Now if you look at DC exactly four years later, it chills you how little had actually changed over this long period...

Back then the site was all about mouser software and support forums (except for some freebies on the site coded by ppl like Skrommel and f0dder). Now look that the site may I say it extended little in essence from what it used to be? If you load up the software download page -- all these actively supported and popularly used software are still listed only under mouser's name, the rest are just either abandoned or forgotten (no seriously most NANYs don't count as software we all realize that). In the case of CircleDock, you know it's only very loosely associatedly with DC and the distance has always been there.

So in the last 4 years, did DC incubate any serious software under the model? I say no. Will it encourage any serious software in the future? Given the momentum and how things are going, very doubtful. Let's face it, the entire gravity of the site rests on things that were created back in 2005/6 and they have been slowly evolving for a few years forming rigid exo-skeletons and bone structrues leaving little room for new creations. And since the site lays on top of these programs it's entering maintenance stage as well, and there's nothing exciting about maintenance rly.

There probably will be a time when mouser himself loses interest in the site and the whole shebang is going to Internet Archives.

We're keen to make NANY a great event for entrants and users alike. Or are you saying it's past its use-by-date?
-Perry Mowbray (April 18, 2010, 04:11 AM)

Don't do it. Let holidays just be holidays, no more "as a DC regular/veteran/supporter/fanboy, you've got to pledge now to make something by NY's day!!" blah blah. It's becoming an annual tradition to embarass, not to enjoy. Just do some market research to see how many coders in there have REALLY got the urge and enthusiasm. I just refuse to believe these proggies are the culmination of weeks of exciting brainstorming and motivated coding efforts leading up to the mug distribution day.

Perry, instead of spending tons of efforts on something as silly as NANY, how about being a manager and get a DC group project rolling this year?
Get my apps in Android Market! Go droids go! :)


mouser

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #34 on: April 18, 2010, 06:21 AM »
Lotus, i realize your intentions may not be to come across in an antagonistic way, but it's hard not to get that impression from the way you are writing.  Whatever your motivations are, it doesn't really seem to me personally like you are trying to be helpful and supportive (you say you donated to the site -- maybe you feel like your donation has not been earned or was wasted -- if so just email me and i will refund it).

Let's try not to get distracted about other issues not related to NANY on this thread -- if we want to start a new thread about general issues on DC we can do that. I'll just say that you talk about the lack of new software on DC -- one of the most delightful surprises about DC has been the explosion of the Coding Snacks section of the forum which has seen the creation if literally hundreds of new, useful, free utilities written by members of the site based on nothing more than a request by someone on our forum.  There is always room for improvement of the site and we're always happy to discuss areas where the site can be made better.

But really let's not let THIS thread devolve into a discussion about something other than NANY.

Rather than having everyone who loves DC start to respond and feel like they have to defend DC against your negative statements, maybe the best thing is just to look past some of the language you are using and just focus back on the issue of NANY and the best way to move forward on it, and take your criticisms of it as a valid opinion of one person.

People please keep focused on suggestions about how we should do NANY this year.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2010, 06:25 AM by mouser »

lotusrootstarch

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #35 on: April 18, 2010, 06:39 AM »
Alrighty mouser, I have expressed my feeling I'm done, 'nuf said.  :)
Get my apps in Android Market! Go droids go! :)


40hz

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #36 on: April 18, 2010, 08:03 AM »
I think the suggested documentation requirement for something to be included in a separate category could be a major stumbling block. Documentation is a MAJOR PAIN for everybody including the big commercial code shops.

Maybe there could be some form of 'special achivement' recognition for excellent documentation being included? Maybe like NANY and NANY w/bronze oak leaf frond...This way it doesn't categorize something as better. It just acknowledges it came with some extra goodness.

Documentation is the bane of the FOSS world. Many otherwise excellent applications are hobbled by the fact they're complex programs and nobody want to write the documentation they need to be useful to most people. So I'm very big on encouraging good documentation.

Maybe a major documentation effort could be its own achievement award? Cody Quill anyone?
 :)

Perry Mowbray

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #37 on: April 18, 2010, 09:37 AM »
Back to NANY (but not unrelated to the latest tangent), I am becoming a convert to the Simple-Is-Better position advocated in this thread, which is a bit of a reversal from my position at the start of this discussion.

It is my view that we should encourage more DC members who are coders to work on more substantial applications for NANY -- to use NANY as motivation to start a new programming project they've been putting off.

But I think now that rather than trying to codify that in the rules/deadlines/etc., we should try to keep the procedure for participating in NANY as simple as we possibly can, and do this "encouragement" informally.

So basically removing the requirements and leaving it up to the entrant, something like this:
  • NANY '11 Board opens with Instructions: Possibly as early as June.
    • A Suggestion Thread that can be used for suggestions & discussions of ideas.
    • Newsletters focus on the new NANY approach, etc through the year
    • Volunteers are called for/made available for some of the "extra polish" for entries (possibility of supplying software) :
      • Icons / Graphics
      • Help Documentation
      • Screencasts
  • Pledge when ever you want.
  • beta releases can be uploaded for Testing and Feedback (if the entrant thinks that's required or helpful)
  • Release before December 31st (it's possible to pledge and release on the same day)
  • Only one update: The New Year Wrap Up: 
    • Which categorises all releases based on our running of the apps.
    • Screencasts
    • Aiming for publish mid-January

cranioscopical

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #38 on: April 18, 2010, 09:38 AM »
So I'm very big on encouraging good documentation.
Cody Quill anyone?
-40hz
I think you've nailed it, 40hz. Where there's a quill, there's a way.

Perry Mowbray

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #39 on: April 18, 2010, 09:43 AM »
So I'm very big on encouraging good documentation.
Cody Quill anyone?
-40hz
I think you've nailed it, 40hz. Where there's a quill, there's a way.
-cranioscopical (April 18, 2010, 09:38 AM)

Actually Chris, I've probably got a few quills available... so let's hope there'll be a way  :Thmbsup:

Stoic Joker

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #40 on: April 18, 2010, 10:27 AM »
Well I was trying to respond to 40hz ... but I don't type fast enough.

Along those lines (but just to the side), I also thing that the documentation requirement would (most likely) spin the whole thing off into the weeds. Let me just toss a few thing out in that direction:

1. A fully "packaged" application is (headed to being) more about marketing than coding. If you have something with that much work into it ... You'll be needing to rationalize not selling it (so the kids can eat), before deciding to giving it away.

2. A truly exceptional application is one that fills it's intended purpose in a complete, elegant, and user friendly way - Not the one that comes in a fancy box (e.g. turd polish).

On a side note: I'm currently looking into doing the documentation for TC2010; which is a program I've been using for over 10 years - and am currently writing (you just can't get any more familiar with a program than that) - But if anything sinks the project, it will be that.

NANY (near as I can tell) Is a programming contest. Which says to me, that it's all about the code. I've long maintained the if something is truly done (written/designed) well...It doesn't need to be explained.

One of my favorite programs is SoftGears wWhoIS, it's a CLI program, with no documentation (that I've seen) ... and it doesn't need any either - it's usage is self explanatory - and I'd be lost without it.

One of DC's primary features is the Coding Snacks section. Where any Joe-off-the-street can gain access to a real live programmer, and ask if idea X is viable. Sometimes it's a clever enough niche to be made real, and sometimes it's and opportunity to educate the requester about an existing feature or application. Neither is bad.

NANY seems to work off the same vein, except it is driven by something kicking around in the head of the entrant. Holidays offer lots of downtime that isn't necessarily always filled with bustling, frolicking & family activities. If an idea can be slapped together in a presentable fashion, that will convey it intended purpose well ... It then has the potential to develop into (or inspire) something wonderful at a later date. Just because some entrants are better (more skilled) or faster than others (I'm slow as hell) doesn't mean their ideas will always pan out. The people that never fail, are frequently the ones that never really try either (failing is a good thing).

One of the things that took me (being more of a nuts-&-bolts guy) a while to grasp is that DC has a bit of an academic slant - e.g. The point of a discussion is to discuss the point, drawing a conclusion is optional. That's part of it's charm, and something that should not change.

40hz

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #41 on: April 18, 2010, 01:06 PM »
Also not to say that documentation needs to be written documentation. Something like those nice videos Mouser has provided for FARR could also count. At least IMHO.

Also - as StoicJoker points out, docs could spin NANY off into the weeds. That's why I suggested the whole issue of docs be treated as its own thing. Tech writing is a specialty anyway.

One of my favorite programs is SoftGears wWhoIS, it's a CLI program, with no documentation (that I've seen) ... and it doesn't need any either - it's usage is self explanatory -

Very valid point in those cases where a program is simple or single purposed enough that it works.

But some programs handle things that aren't intuitive such as video transcoding or graphic modeling. With this category of program, no matter what you do, it will still remain fairly complex to grasp and use. Look at Blender. It gets criticized for its complexity. But what it does will always remain a fairly complex set of tasks. And while the interface could be improved or streamlined, it won't make using Blender any easier for the end-user.

So for a program like Blender, good docs are a necessity.


One of the things that took me (being more of a nuts-&-bolts guy) a while to grasp is that DC has a bit of an academic slant - e.g. The point of a discussion javascript:void(0);is to discuss the point, drawing a conclusion is optional. That's part of it's charm, and something that should not change.


Well said. Never though of it exactly that way, but I think SJ just hit the nail on the head with that insight. :Thmbsup:

--------

Note: I just realized that since I'm shooting my mouth off about NANY, I probably should seriously start thinking about coding again. Been a whole lotta years since I've done much of that.

Gulp!
« Last Edit: April 18, 2010, 01:14 PM by 40hz »

Perry Mowbray

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #42 on: April 18, 2010, 05:44 PM »
But what about if it was all optional like:
So basically removing the requirements and leaving it up to the entrant, something like this:
  • NANY '11 Board opens with Instructions: Possibly as early as June.
    • A Suggestion Thread that can be used for suggestions & discussions of ideas.
    • Newsletters focus on the new NANY approach, etc through the year
    • Volunteers are called for/made available for some of the "extra polish" for entries (possibility of supplying software) :
      • Icons / Graphics
      • Help Documentation
      • Screencasts
  • Pledge when ever you want.
  • beta releases can be uploaded for Testing and Feedback (if the entrant thinks that's required or helpful)
  • Release before December 31st (it's possible to pledge and release on the same day)
  • Only one update: The New Year Wrap Up: 
    • Which categorises all releases based on our running of the apps.
    • Screencasts
    • Aiming for publish mid-January
-Perry Mowbray (April 18, 2010, 09:37 AM)

mouser

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #43 on: April 18, 2010, 06:00 PM »
So essentially.. the new new idea is: Make NANY much simpler.. less rules, less deadlines, less stress.
BUT.. try to provide the support and encouragement and testing for those that want it.

nosh

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #44 on: April 19, 2010, 12:10 AM »
Is NANY an acronym? If so, I still don't know what it stands for. In the spirit of simplicity I suggest a slight rebranding - give it a simpler/catchier name like GoCode or DoCode or DoCoGoCode. Ok, that's not much simpler. I'll stop now.

mouser

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #45 on: April 19, 2010, 12:25 AM »

JavaJones

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #46 on: April 19, 2010, 02:44 AM »
I just had a realization. I will tell you, with the goal of increasing input into NANY, as well as the quality of the results, I was one of the people previously advocating for more guidelines, and differentiation. There was always the concern of putting too much pressure or the increased number of rules being off-putting, and I tried to balance that carefully in my contributions, as I know everyone else did as well. It was always a persistent consideration. I can only speak for myself, but I think others may agree, that I was never entirely confident these changes would work, but they did seem like the best way forward at the time. Now I think I've realized that we did indeed go too far, and overcomplicated things.

The thought that occurred to me that spurred me to post at all though was that perhaps it's more of a timing issue than anything else. What's interesting is that time is a key factor in NANY and really almost any "challenge". Without a time limit most challenges are less interesting, even if it's just a vague time limit. Yet too short a time limit can burn people out, and perhaps that's what's been happening. We've certainly seen that expressed several times recently. Now I don't have the history with NANY that many others here do, so I don't know if this has been the same in the past, but it did strike me as worth trying to address when I saw it this year and last.

At the same time you can't have too long a time limit, as I said. So it seems like it *may* be at least partly, if not in large part, a matter of determining when you open the challenge, so that people have the right boost of enthusiasm that will last them enough time to get through to the point where they release their app. Starting earlier seems like a good idea in general. The question is how early. That I don't know, but I think it could be a critical consideration, and even a week or two more or less seems like it could make the difference.

- Oshyan

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #47 on: April 19, 2010, 09:21 AM »
What resources are required for NANY?  Have you quantified what it truly takes to run the event?

The two event system may work on 6 month cycles/  This all depends on the resource to run an event.

Something like:
NANY 20## - The event as it is with the fast paced effoft for developers to complete their apps.  This is what forced me to finish an idea I had for a long time - now that idea is being turned into a business because the NANY event gave me a kick in the ass to complete it
Summer Blockbuster 20## - The new first class event as proposed.

Basically offer a Winter and Summer event.

I like this, rather than diluting the current NANY.  It seems like other than NANY as of late, we don't have any other contests/promotions during the year.  I get caught up in day-to-day work, so don't really work on my software as much as I would like, but these kinds of things give me impetus.  It's not about the prize as much as it's about the prodding to me.

app103

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #48 on: April 19, 2010, 11:34 AM »
I had suggested a summer event, that ran from June till the end of August, with the wrap-up in early September, followed by a reminder that NANY is on the way. I figured the entire summer would be great for coding more substantial things and it wouldn't clash with things like major holidays and exams.

I also suggested a formal press release be issued 3-4 months in advance of the official starting date for both events, that way it could attract some press coverage that we have never been able to get before. Large news outlets and print publications usually have their story line-ups decided months in advance of the actual printing, and if you want to get their attention and make it into their magazine within enough time before your event, you have to do it with a press release and do it early enough to give them time. 3-4 months is the standard. (which means if we were going to have a summer event this year, the press release should have went out 2 months ago)

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Re: NANY 2011 :: A New Concept -- Have your say!
« Reply #49 on: April 19, 2010, 12:15 PM »
I have real concerns that trying to do 2 similar events like this wouldn't spread ourselves too thin.

Another alternative we've discussed is for NANY to be an end of year celebration of ALL the new applications created over the last year by DC members.. this would include coding snacks and large applications, anything created in the last year.  It would be more of a showcase and celebration of what members have created.

One advantage of this is that it doesn't exclude things arbitrarily based on date, which can happen with our normal NANY.  And it still wouldn't stop a final month push for people to create new stuff.