What is Hackergarten and why should you join?

It was 7 pm on a Wednesday evening, and we were gathered in Basel, Switzerland. Ten software engineers were sharing their time and expertise to develop open source software. They have a passion for code, sharing knowledge and open source software. They may not be colleagues, some of them work for the same company. But that day they were working together as a team to create something that can be used by others. The event had been scheduled for 15 November a few weeks earlier.

To keep up to date with upcoming events, visit the Hackergarten site.

The 341st Hackergarten meeting happened on a crisp evening. People were arriving slowly but surely, some joined around 5pm. Despite the apparent large size of the software community, many warm greetings were exchanged, such as “Hey!! So nice to see you again!”, “Hello!!” and “Long time, no see”. Certain participants felt like they were reuniting with long-lost acquaintances whereas others had the advantage of being regular attendees.

It was another wonderful evening among acquaintances, friends, and ex-colleagues or maybe even soon to be colleagues. As I sat in front of my computer, I overheard an intriguing conversation on documentation, templating and how to enforce a project structure. Several questions and suggestions were raised, including a helpful prompt to create a plugin for Asciidoctor. We noted it down to bring up during the brainstorming session later in the evening. At around six o’clock, Markus walked towards the whiteboard and, with great enthusiasm, took attendance. “So many new faces!” he exclaimed.

You may be the next one, don’t forget to check the webpage!

Markus welcomed the new attendees and clarified the purpose of Hackergarten, explaining that the aim is to create a specific outcome that can benefit others - whether it is functional software, enhanced documentation, or improved educational resources. The goal is to conclude each meeting with a patch or comparable contribution to an openly source and public project. Markus emphasized that contributing to open source does not always involve writing code. A contribution can take various forms, not all of which are technical. This article provides proof of this fact. Marcus Fihlon proposed an outstanding idea, and Tamari and Ixchel collaborated to execute it.

Within minutes, a list of topics began to take shape. Each person had the opportunity to introduce a project and a first idea of how they would like to contribute. For example, you might have an issue with your favourite open source project you work with or would like to contribute to. We are aware that several open-source projects have spent time welcoming new contributors, and you can find issues marked as “good first contribution” or “hackergarten”. However, it is precisely this that makes Hackergarten such a unique event. The event has a clear starting point, people with passion in IT and a willingness to make the world a better place, one contribution at the time.

Here you can see the list of topics we proposed:

Asciidoctor Plugin / Antora Plugin
Mastodon setup on (h) Cloud (Bash)
Article about Hackergarten
Apache Solr : 1st contrib issues
ZioNSON with DSON-LD (Scala)
JReleaser
RDiscount (Ruby, C)
Pandoc Plant UML Filter (Python)

In Hackergarten, there are not many rules. But the intention of the organizer is that people split in groups so nobody works alone (and, even if the topic they work on does not “work out”, they can at least have fun working together and maybe learn something from each other, e.g. a new IDE shortcut). So, after a quick vote the project work started.

The suggested projects are written in different programming languages. This is not by any means a limitation as we all have preferences and sometimes dislikes - and that is acceptable. Nonetheless, this is a distinct advantage of Hackergarten: it’s surprising mix of interest, languages, platforms and even types of contributions. You can never predict how it’s going to turn out or who you’re going to work with, or how far-reaching the inspiration will be. This article, for example, has been an exciting experience and one of the most fulfilling tasks I have undertaken in recent weeks because I have had the privilege of sharing the work with Ixchel.

Whilst the preferred frequency of events can be once a month, it happens ‘when it happens’. All you need for a Hackergarten is a friendly organisation to provide space and refreshments. This evening, we were enjoying a very productive evening and pizza with beer at the Karakun office in Basel.

Why join the next Hackergarten?

So, you may be asking yourself “Why should I join the next Hackergarten?” We put the same question to those of our team who attended the Hackergarten event that day. You will probably be interested in the answers from experienced people. Here are some of the comments we received from participants when we asked them why they were attending:

“A sense of accomplishment because the goal is to finish the contribution in one evening”

“Quick and easy introduction on how to contribute to open source because someone can help you get started”

“Writing open source in a shared and personal environment is more rewarding. It’s working together to achieve a common goal”

“I was surprised by the welcoming environment and how easy it is to interact with other participants”

I have a clear message for you. Hackergarten gives you a possibility to work in a challenging project and to see yourself in a different light or a new way like you never have before.

Our warmest thank you and recognition to all attendees to Hackergarten #341!

Hackergarten

What is Hackergarten?

Hackergarten is a unique and dynamic gathering where individuals from diverse backgrounds come together in a collaborative environment. It functions as a workshop, a classroom, a lab, a social club, a writing society, a recreational space, and an artist’s studio all at once. The primary objective of Hackergarten is to create valuable contributions that others can benefit from - be it functional software, enhanced documentation, or improved educational resources.

At every meeting, members focus on achieving a specific outcome, be it a patch or a similar contribution to an open and public project. The aim is not only to learn, explore, and experiment but also to make a positive impact by actively participating in the open-source community.

Hackergarten embraces diversity and encourages anyone who is passionate and willing to dedicate their time and energy to join the community. It provides a platform for individuals to collaborate, share knowledge, and collectively work towards a common goal.

How to organise a Hackergarten?

If you are considering organizing a Hackergarten for the first time, it is highly recommended that you attend one as a participant beforehand. This will give you valuable insight into how the event is structured and executed.

To host a successful Hackergarten, you will need a suitable venue with ample power plugs as well as reliable WiFi access. It is also important to provide refreshments, snacks, and/or pizza during the event. This will not only keep participants fueled (perhaps even happy) but also create an opportunity for networking and socializing during breaks.

To streamline your organization process, a platform like Meetup is highly recommended. It has proven to be effective for many events, including Hackergartens in places such as Basel, Zürich and Lucerne. And even in Stuttgart and Dortmund, and many other places around the globe. You can easily manage event registration, communication, and updates. There is the hackergarten.net Homepage that is intended as a common umbrella for all Hackergarten.

Join the list!

If you would like your Hackergarten event to be added to the Hackergarten official list, simply fork their repository, include the event details in the events.json file, and submit a pull request.

Media

If you are interested in using the Hackergarten logo, you can download it from their website’s download section. However, please make sure to agree to the license terms before using it.