ironcoder

With just a little over four hours left, it’s time to detail the submission process.

Zip up (or tarball, or whatever) your entry, including full source and a built copy. Put your name in the filename. Keep your file under 5 meg.

Go over to the submission page. Get yours in by 6pm Eastern today. Judging will begin shortly thereafter.

I have selected the theme and the API. Naturally, you need to wait until Friday and Saturday to find out, but I like to tease.

Here is your hint:

The API will require bending one of the rules of the game.

Ironcoder v0 was a great success. Many cool submissions were entered. Egos of geeks were raised and then crushed. Much fun was had by all involved.

However the zeroth Ironcoder contest was a very ad-hoc thing, very much created on the spur of the moment. This time we’re trying to make the contest seem just a little bit more professional. This blog is the first step towards that goal.

Ironcoder v0’s winner Lucas Eckiels along with Gus Mueller, Daniel Jalkut and Jonathan Wight each have editor privileges for this blog and will all (hopefully) be posting more information about Ironcoder \01.

Additionally anyone creating a submission for Ironcoder \01 can request a temporary “contributor” user account and can make postings to introduce themselves and provide commentary during the duration of the competition.

We are also investigating how to submit the entries to the judge. For Iconcoder v0 we used an FTP dropbox, we have since moved services providers and an FTP dropbox may not be possible. A simple HTTP upload form might be sufficient (if anyone wishes to create a simple PHP HTTP upload script or can point us toward a suitable Wordpress plug-in please let us know).

Less than two weeks until the Ironcoder \01 contest begins. Who will be judged supreme Mac OS X hacker?

Chairman Eckels has decided on the following dates & times for the phases of the contest.

• Friday, May 19, 6pm EST (23:00 UTC): API will be announced.
• Saturday, May 20, 6pm EST (23:00 UTC): Theme will be announced.
• Sunday, May 21, 6pm EST (23:00 UTC): Judging will begin.

Judging will be based on four criteria:

• Style
• Technical expertise
• Use of API and theme
• Cool factor

Some rules:

• The programs must run in their own address space- so that rules out input managers and haxies. The program must also run without authentication.
• Source code has to be included, and you’ve got to be ok with it being public.
• New projects only! The idea is to try and cram all development into a 24hr period.
• If it’s some sort of movie, or something that you have to sit through, it can’t be longer than 1:27 seconds.
• Files must be under 5mb compressed (for uploading).
• A quick little blurb on how to run your program, what it does, and how it ties into the theme is probably a good idea.
• The app has to be totally self contained. We don’t want files littered all over the judge’s system.
• The judge has to be able to compile the code.
• Instant disqualification if judge is too scared to run the code.
• You must be willing to be the next competition’s judge.
• Unless somebody wants to buy the judge a new Intel Mac, it better run on PPC. Bonus points to anyone who sends the judge hardware.