What is Code & Coffee all about

Why on earth would you like to spend an evening on a laptop after you most likely have been sitting on an computer for the last 8h? Because its cool, right?!

Code & Coffee is a software night that I host at the Edinburgh Hacklab. It is my pet project, to give me an hour or two every week to work on an ideas I fancy. As with every pet I do get attached to what I am making. Which is great, because it allows me to continue even if I am frustrated about my progress so far.
I am not a programmer by daylight. And here is a the secrete: most answers are on the interwebs and mailing list archives anyway. Here is an other one: 99% of the code I write and sketches that I draw are ending up in this cupboard folder called “Desktop2012”.

I don’t care.
I do care that there is once a week a space in my calendar where I am speaking with the other people about ideas and ways on how to solve problems than most likely, I didn’t know exist before. I do care that there is a welcoming atmosphere where people feel encouraged to talk about the design and coding traps they are facing and listen how people found a way around them. It has often a bit a campfire feeling, but don’t get me wrong: learning is something I have to do myself. There is nobody that designs and codes for me, but their is a Hacklab community out there that, inspires me.
Feel free to come along: Thursday 9th Aug 2012 7:30ish.

3 thoughts on “What is Code & Coffee all about

  • What kind of languages are you coding in and what are the current projects based around? I only do a bit of python and I’m trying to learn gtk for GUI stuff.

    • Hi Neil,
      thanks for your reply. Do you have a particular application in mind where you would like to try out gtk?
      Personally I am interested in prototyping quickly an idea and I found processing is a great language for doing so. I started later to learn Python and going currently through Zed A. Shaw book “Learn Python The Hard Way”.
      The night evolves usually of going together over some code and a chat how to develop an idea further. It is also a great chance to get some people to test your application and receive quickly feedback. Which might speed up your development of your GUI. I think a lot of project are rather playful: Hacklab switch, wiki, small motion tracking games, maps and music.

      Have a great week and feel welcome to come along.

      x Jane

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