Author Topic: Gentlemen (and Ladies), Start Your Engines!! (Read 31893 times)

kyrathaba · « **on:** June 22, 2011, 09:18 PM »

N.A.N.Y., which stands for New Apps for the New Year, is an annual event here on DonationCode.com where we challenge coders of all experience levels to release a brand new FREEWARE / DONATIONWARE application to celebrate the coming of the new year.

That's right! It's not too soon to begin revving your engines in preparation for the N.A.N.Y. 2012 Event! In recognition of this, let me first pay due homage to Perry Mowbray, who has done a fantastic job bringing everything together cohesively (and immensely enjoyably) in past N.A.N.Y. events. My hat's off to you, Perry.

Perry will be assuming a less demanding role in this year's contest, due to other obligations, and I have stepped up to help out, so let me welcome all who plan to enter the event, and encourage you to be working hard on those apps (if you aren't already). Perry, Mouser and I will be working together, but I will assume lead responsibility for coordinating the event (yes, I'm aware that I'm a bit crazy).

Please begin thinking about the role you'd like to play in this year's event, and be thinking about your contributions to upcoming threads in this section, where we'll be discussing Ideas for Entries, allowing Early App Submissions, in order to take advantage of a longer period of feedback/testing, and much, much more.

I am very STOKED about this year's event. In the next few days, expect to see a thread or two begin to appear, as mentioned above. Also, be expecting ...

...a little something special from Yours Truly: an early app submission around which I hope some competitiveness and one or more prize winners may arise...

mouser · « **Reply #1 on:** June 22, 2011, 09:36 PM »

Yay!

I know I speak for all of DC when I say that we are all thrilled you've stepped in the breach and agreed to oversee NANY this year.

Deozaan · « **Reply #2 on:** June 22, 2011, 09:47 PM »

Thanks for volunteering, kyrathaba.

As usual, I'm looking forward to NANY this year. (c:

kyrathaba · « **Reply #3 on:** June 22, 2011, 09:51 PM »

Volunteer? Who said anything about this being voluntary? Somehow, mouser has taken control of my laptop remotely and is holding it hostage until I comply (dang it's hard doing all this from that old Win98 machine...)

No, seriously, I'm very pleased to help, and mouser has been gracious enough to give me the opportunity. I appreciate your comment, Deozaan, and look forward to the next six months worth of excitement and anticipation

cranioscopical · « **Reply #4 on:** June 23, 2011, 11:18 AM »

I will be working together, but I will assume lead responsibility for coordinating the event
-kyrathaba (June 22, 2011, 09:18 PM)

Madness! Sheer madness!

Delightful to see you assuming the heavy lifting, thanks and good luck!

kyrathaba · « **Reply #5 on:** June 23, 2011, 03:13 PM »

Thanks, cranioscopical!

kyrathaba · « **Reply #6 on:** June 23, 2011, 08:05 PM »

I've shared the launch of this year's NANY on my Facebook page. We should probably do the same on DC's page.

app103 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 24, 2011, 02:42 AM »

Whatever gets posted to the DC blog gets automatically posted to the facebook page, twitter, and friendfeed.

kyrathaba · « **Reply #8 on:** June 24, 2011, 07:08 AM »

Whatever gets posted to the DC blog gets automatically posted to the facebook page, twitter, and friendfeed.

Aha! Good deal! Thanks, app!

Crush · « **Reply #9 on:** June 25, 2011, 03:14 AM »

My engine has started on your command.

The first pledge is posted.

kyrathaba · « **Reply #10 on:** June 25, 2011, 08:35 AM »

Awesome, Crush!

anandcoral · « **Reply #11 on:** July 13, 2011, 07:34 AM »

Thanks kyrathaba, for taking up the job

I have been busy lately with family compulsions and not being able to reply to post though I try to keep myself informed about them. It is good that NANY 2012 started early this year and kyrathaba put condition for two apps only, which will give me more time to make useful app (hopefully).

I request if we can add a certificate with the gift, this year. We may discuss on it further.

Regards

Anand

kyrathaba · « **Reply #12 on:** July 13, 2011, 08:29 AM »

Sounds great Anand! Anything to sweeten the pot is appreciated. Along those lines, if anyone wants to earmark any DonationCredits for the Hangman high-scorer, send them my way and I will increase the monthly prize accordingly.

mouser · « **Reply #13 on:** July 13, 2011, 09:14 AM »

As discussed earlier, a certificate will be part of this year's nany rewards.

kyrathaba · « **Reply #14 on:** July 14, 2011, 07:09 AM »

Fantastic, mouser!

kyrathaba · « **Reply #15 on:** October 13, 2011, 08:04 AM »

Just a report on progress toward our NANY 2012 goals, everyone:

We are hoping to obtain at least 50 pledges. So far, we've had 13 (posts shown as early Beta releases are implicitly understood to have been pledged), although one was withdrawn. So we're 26% of the way to our goal of 50 pledges. There are only 54 days remaining until the pledge deadline at 11:59:59 PM Greenwich Mean Time on December 07, 2011. So, we really need to start getting in more pledges. I encourage every coder to submit a pledge. If you don't have an idea for an application, there are several ideas/requests on the main NANY 2012 forum page.

tranglos · « **Reply #16 on:** October 13, 2011, 10:10 AM »

We are hoping to obtain at least 50 pledges.
-kyrathaba (October 13, 2011, 08:04 AM)

It's probably too late by now to change this, but I think we may be setting ourselves up for a failure (or an undeserved perception of one) by setting the bar that high. Seriously, who said the number of pledges must be greater each year than the year before? Look around you - everyone - to see where the blind push for growth at any price has landed us

I'm quite serious here. While it would certainly be impressive to have 50 or 100 new apps, it's probably unrealistic to expect that, and most of all, it is irrelevant. Who are we competing with, anyway?

At one point someone (mouser? can't recall) suggested that this year's NANY strive for more polished, more complete or "bigger" apps. That may well be a good idea; my own release last year was way premature, for example. But overall, I suggest we don't put undue emphasis on competition and sheer numbers, there's enough of that in the world as it is!

mouser · « **Reply #17 on:** October 13, 2011, 10:20 AM »

I had the same thought.

50 seems overly ambitious by a wide margin to me too.. I'd be thrilled with 20.

As Tranglos says, trying to get more and more each year might be a recipe for disappointment.

But what I don't know is if there is any downside to aiming for 50 -- as long as everyone realizes it's nothing to be sad about if we don't come close. And I admire Kyrathaba's spirit.

Bottom line though is I don't think it matters too much how many we aim for -- NANY is supposed to be an enjoyable thing for those who participate. So if 5 people participate or 50, it's all good.

[having said that -- i think the programmers who hang out on DC should consider it their duty to release something; if you miss 2 years in a row you will receive a black mark from Cody]

cranioscopical · « **Reply #18 on:** October 13, 2011, 10:42 AM »

[having said that -- i think the programmers who hang out on DC should consider it their duty to release something; if you miss 2 years in a row you will receive a black mark from Cody]
-mouser (October 13, 2011, 10:20 AM)

So don't look up!

kyrathaba · « **Reply #19 on:** October 13, 2011, 06:05 PM »

Thanks for the comments, all.

I agree that we're not in a competition with anyone. But given the size of DC's membership (and even accounting for the fact that only a small minority of that number are coders), I think 50 is not an unreasonable number of pledges toward which to strive. I might also mention that there hasn't really been any set goal in the past in terms of how many pledges we'd like to get: we just encourage everyone to pledge and then follow-up with a release. And while there's nothing wrong with that, I think some people are more motivated by a hard number. They say "Hmm, we're 26% of the way there? I'm gonna pledge; I bet I can make that 27%..."

I think that, in a fun sort of way, we're competing with ourselves, but I agree with you tranglos that our primary aim is quality, not quantity. Having said that, I think if we encourage and cajole, perhaps we wind up, in the final analysis, with a few more quality apps than we might have otherwise.

Bottom line though is I don't think it matters too much how many we aim for -- NANY is supposed to be an enjoyable thing for those who participate. So if 5 people participate or 50, it's all good.

+1. And my encouragement to pledge is more out of my own enthusiasm, and hoping to infect others with that same enthusiasm, than with any belief that we must have MORE.

Hope that clarifies my position.

anandcoral · « **Reply #20 on:** October 15, 2011, 04:56 AM »

I agree with @kyrathaba.

What he did is same as a host asking "Everyone sing along" in a full room. Though he/she knows very well that not everyone WILL sing and not everyone CAN sing. Still asking "5 of you all sing along" will cause a pin drop silence, as everyone will think that other one will sing.

This is encouragement and not forcing or counting.

I further feel that everybody has some bread and butter job and at times it becomes difficult to cut time for other jobs. Relax guys, we are all friends here and will not cry on less number of Apps at the end of the year.

Let us keep this event as enjoyable one, we all already have a boss breathing on our neck with sand-clock in hand.

Regards,

Anand

anandcoral · « **Reply #21 on:** November 07, 2011, 12:28 PM »

@kyrathaba, just posted another pledge Tell When Done.

Now since there is a limit of only two pledge by each contributor, I feel a bit bonded as there is another one going inside my mind.

Since by habit most of the developers are still in their leisure mood, they will pick up as the door closes

, I think we may increase the number of pledges.

What do you suggest ?

Regards,

Anand

skwire · « **Reply #22 on:** November 07, 2011, 12:43 PM »

Now since there is a limit of only two pledge by each contributor
-anandcoral (November 07, 2011, 12:28 PM)

When did this rule get put in place? I don't believe we've ever had a limit. Submit all you like, IMO.

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #23 on:** November 07, 2011, 04:42 PM »

Now since there is a limit of only two pledge by each contributor
-anandcoral (November 07, 2011, 12:28 PM)

When did this rule get put in place? I don't believe we've ever had a limit. Submit all you like, IMO.
-skwire (November 07, 2011, 12:43 PM)

I don't think it's a rigidly enforced hard limit rule per se ... It's just a gentile encouragement for quality over quantity.

kyrathaba · « **Reply #24 on:** November 07, 2011, 04:55 PM »

anand:Now since there is a limit of only two pledge by each contributor, I feel a bit bonded as there is another one going inside my mind.

SJ: I don't think it's a rigidly enforced hard limit rule per se ... It's just a gentile encouragement for quality over quantity.

Right, not a rigid rule. Just a guideline. I myself broke the "rule", with three submissions. The more the merrier, anandcoral!