Hi Jochen,
Initially I thought the 'Webcup' challenge was all about ability etc.
However, looking at the criteria and points you outline, I understand
that, if the challenge is purely to make a site that "looks good in
front of a customer".. and this is, more or less, the only criteria..
then I guess one can feed anything at all, including templates of any
shape or size.
I can't speak for everyone else here (obviously) but, speaking for
myself, I guess I had previously had no idea what the "Webcup Challenge"
was all about, its aims, rules and regulations.
Well.. now that I know what this is really about... I'll send my team
next year (lol)
Cheerz
Dhiruj
On 25/05/2015 11:21, Jochen Kirstätter wrote:
> Hi altogether,
>
> I'm going to combine a couple of your statements into one response,
> *and then it's EOT from side*. ;-)
>
> First, WebCup originated in La Reunion - which might explain the
> domain: http://www.webcup.fr - and has been extended into the Indian
> Ocean based on the positive feedback and experience during the past
> events. Personally, I find it outstanding that there is an annual
> challenge in IT between the islands of this region! Not sure, what the
> nay-sayers have to argue about that...
>
> Reading through the various comments, I clearly see that you're
> discussing about the technical aspects of how a website should be done
> mainly. Well, in disclosure of being a member of the jury during the
> WebCup 2015 let me tell you this:
>
> *It absolutely didn't matter at all*
>
> The WebCup is about the creation of a website based on a given subject
> and requests within 24 hours.
> It's also a fun event. Anyone participating with a serious sense of
> competition should simply stay away - the WebCup isn't the right event
> for your high standards then.
>
> The whole rating process is based on *the client's / visitor's point
> of view*. And how the team addressed the requested functionality in
> order to pitch the audience and jury for their vote. Given this
> background it absolutely doesn't matter whether a team is writing a
> website from scratch using a plain text editor like Notepad or vim, or
> in which programming language (PHP, Ruby, Python, ASP.NET, etc.) the
> back-end, if ever there is a back-end and data storage after all, or
> whether an existing template, free or purchased, has been plugged on
> top of a content management system. It simply doesn't matter under the
> given role of a website visitor to vet and rate the resulting website.
>
> I know there are purist and very talented software developers on this
> mailing list, but frankly, do you care how other people's websites
> have been created? Whether somebody else is using WordPress, Drupal,
> AngularJS, Laravel, or whatever platform? I don't know, but I don't
> care I'm visiting a website because I'm interested in either a product
> or a service which I could purchase. And that's what the challenge
> during the WebCup is and was about. I cannot and won't comment on past
> events as I wasn't present.
>
> Raising the standards of generated outcome, being more meticulous and
> whatsoever you all have as arguments. Yes, I agree with you, and the
> jury members talked about those aspects. Taking into consideration
> that the teams usually consist of 4 members during those 24 hours,
> this gives us actually 96 hours of effort, or roughly 2.5 weeks for a
> single person. And yes, that's an impressive amount of time but...
>
> * most teams are amateurs, hobbyists, students, etc.
> * they are young
> * they usually don't work together as a team
> * working 24 hours in one go is a challenge for itself (I speak of
> experience as I've done this numerous times)
> * as for the professionals - they might have other IT core expertise
> * etc etc etc.
>
> There was an interesting comment about to how assemble the "perfect
> team"...
>
> * 1 front-end developer
> * 2 designers
> * 1 content writer
>
> Frankly, full agreement!
> It's about the visual impression and the fulfillment of the given
> tasks. Again, nobody cares about the underlying technology - it
> absolutely doesn't matter.
>
> So, whether a team decides to go for a customisation of an existing
> template during those 24 hours is a choice.
> If a team feels more comfortable and at ease to write everything from
> scratch, again it's a choice.
> Whether a team integrates existing APIs from 3rd party suppliers to
> solve a feature, it's a choice.
>
> But bear in mind... 24 hours is the hard limit. Either a team delivers
> or not. There's no extension you can ask for, so rather make a wise
> choice regarding your own capabilities and what the team effort could be.
>
> Of course, commonly established criteria like responsive web design,
> load performance, etc. have been taking into consideration but not by
> all members of jury because some of them also are familiar with these
> checks. And frankly asking, when did you ever have a client that
> confronted you with an performance auditing report of GTmetrix (or
> other sites)?
>
> Now, giving you some details regarding the presentations and
> evaluation of the created websites.
>
> The WebCup 2015 had 19 teams. How much time can you possible assign to
> each team to do their pitch and answer a couple of questions? Well,
> teams have been given 5 minutes to present their outcome, and 3
> minutes for questions from the jury. And honestly, I felt like sitting
> in something comparable to American Idol or Britain's Got Talent. But
> simply do the maths.
>
> 19 teams, each ~ 10 minutes = ~ 190 minutes or 3+ hours
>
> And that's after a recent 24 hours coding situation...
> Every one is tired and exhausted after that long day and night of events.
>
> But back to the jury. Seriously what can you vet during those 8
> minutes that every team has to demonstrate their output? I hope that
> you agree that the view is on the first impression, the idea or
> concept that the team based their development on, and the demo of the
> requested features. That's it, time is over! It's the point of view of
> a first time visitor on a new website. So, the questions that have
> been asked:
>
> * Does the visual appearance leave an impression?
> * Would I talk about that website to someone else or tick it off?
> * What's the product or service the team is offering?
> * Do I get enough details about the product or service to be
> attracted to do a purchase?
> * Can it be purchased - in this case: Can I book a ticket?
> * How much does it cost?
> * In this case: Can I choose the currency depending on my location?
>
> Again, there is absolutely no room for anything related to the
> underlying framework or back-end. It doesn't matter.
>
> And just in case... How would you rate a team using a framework?
>
> * DotNetNuke, WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc. = bad?
> * AngularJS, Aurelia, Laravel, ParixisCMS, etc. = good?
>
> Pathetic!
>
> <!-- sarcasm alert! Because haters gonna hate anyways... -->
> Alright, enough food for thought and venting about some people's
> comments. As said initially I'm done with this topic as it is more
> likely Kindergarten than having any kind of constructive outcome. I
> won't comment on any further responses - sorry but keep the negative
> hatred and spiting of venom for yourselves.
> Those who do not agree with how the WebCup is organised by La Reunion
> and executed by the local team in Mauritius. Well, honestly instead of
> making things ugly and sour with negative criticism, feel free to
> organise another competition/challenge like a hackathon or system
> administrator's magical show on a national and later regional level.
> It would be interesting to know about how you guys are going to feel
> when people stick it to you.
>
> Do yourself a favour and put all that negative energy into some
> positive outcome...
> <!-- Whew, enough said -->
>
> Actually, instead of posting this here in the mailing list, I might
> better consider to post this on my blog.
>
> Just in case that you really can't bear the fact to hold back your
> view, please feel free to talk to me direct and at best offline.
>
>
> PS: I'm still friends with all of you... just in case you might take
> certain statements made above personal.
> --
> Kind regards, Jochen
>
> Founder of Mauritius Software Craftsmanship Community
> http://www.meetup.com/MauritiusSoftwareCraftsmanshipCommunity/
Received on Mon May 25 2015 - 08:42:59 PST