“Daj Się Poznać 2016” Competition

PersonalDSP162 March 2016

So, why all this hurry and pre-alpha release of the website? Well, I’ve decided to take part in the second edition of “Daj Się Poznać” competition. I wanted to release a new version of this website a bit later, more like in June, but the competition will already be over till then. I could use some ready WordPress theme, but none of them featured rotating cube in the header, so I had no choice… And programming your own stuff is fun, isn’t it?

Back to the competition. You can read the official rules and the FAQ at dajsiepoznac.pl (Polish only). I haven’t found any English version of them, so the most important are:

1. The competition starts on 1st March 2016 and ends on 31st May 2016 (13 weeks).
2. Every week, each participant has to publish at least 2 posts about developing his projects and be active for at least 10 weeks.
3. Any project will do, and it is not required to use any specific technology. Moreover, it may be already existing project.
4. All the project’s code has to be uploaded to GitHub and to be publicly available as open source.
5. Winners will be chosen by the participants, the sponsors, the organiser and the community.
6. The awards are fame, glory and a lifetime respect. Oh, also you can get some fancy Herman Miller Aeron chair, Xbox One, Das Keyboard, Lumia 640 phone, books, “Programista” magazine subscriptions and many more goodies from generous sponsors.
7. According to the FAQ, if you drop the project, you may be killed. Well, not really, but still, I’m a bit suspicious…

Some thoughts

The previous edition was organised in 2010. Out of 79 participants, only 22 made it to the end, and should be still alive. I’ve checked some of the finalists blogs, and unfortunately, most of them are dead (like, the blogs, not the guys). Seems like it’s not easy to keep a habit of writing, and the hardest thing may be to actually write 20 posts.

It’s not possible to publish two well prepared technical articles every week – at least if you do this as an after-hours activity. Describing the problem, finding a solution, programming examples, preparing graphics, running performance tests etc., everything takes time. On the other hand, they just have to describe the process, and there is no length or quality requirement.

Most of the participants are from Poland, so should I write in Polish or English (both are accepted in the rules)? It is easier to use a native language as it will be more natural and faster to write. Using English will allow more people to understand it without using any not-so-perfect on-line translators. Let’s try the second option for now.