#HackingFromHome - November 2020

COVID-19 has impacted work across industries, and moved most non-service jobs to be remote. We are now hacking from home. The goal of this hackathon is to create new solutions that optimize remote work for everyone.

Participate in the hackathon on November 10 – 17, 2020 for a chance to win cash prizes totaling $6,000 along with exclusive Mattermost and Jitsi merchandise.

Registration

You can register for the hackathon on the event website, and join the Hackathon platform at hackathon.cloud.mattermost.com.

How do I get started?

1. Register for updates at https://mattermost.com/hackfest2020/#registrationCta.
2. Join Mattermost hackathon platform at hackathon.cloud.mattermost.com.
3. Begin collaborating with others on ideas in Mattermost, and optionally form a team.
4. Work on your project with your team until November 17, 2020.
5. Submit your project following the steps below.

How do I submit my project?

Submissions are accepted until 23:00 GMT-0 on November 17, 2020.

Submit your Hackathon project following these steps:

1. Create a new file in submissions folder. Please use .md as the extension of the file.
2. Name the file <your-github-username>-<your-submission-name>.md. For example, jasonblais-onedrive-plugin.md.
3. Include the following:

   1. Link to a repository containing your project (e.g. an integration or plugin), or a link to a page to download it for evaluation.

   2. Brief summary of your project, including:

      • Problem statement: What is the specific problem you’re solving?
      • What are the underlying use cases the bot would cover.
      • Your approach and solution.
      • (Optional) Any supporting references, diagrams or demos that depict your solution.

   3. Supporting references, diagrams or demos that depict your solution. Typically one or both of the following:

      • Brief video (screen capture with voiceover) that gives an overview of the project, the motivation behind it, and how it works to achieve it.
      • Basic documentation with a screenshot of the solution in action, list of features, and development guide if applicable. A great example is this README of the GitLab-Mattermost plugin.

   4. A link to submit issues and questions, such as a public issue tracker in GitHub.

4. Scroll to the bottom of the page, then select Create a new branch and click Propose new file.
5. On the next screen, submit your changes as a pull request. If other members worked with you on the project, please make sure to include their names in your pull request description, so we can correctly attribute everyone’s work.

You can see a sample submission here.

Submission guidelines

All submissions must comply with our Terms and Conditions and Code of Conduct.

Qualified submissions (for swag)

1. Submitted to this GitHub project (https://github.com/HackingFromHomeHackathon/november-2020). This entry will be used to review the submission.
2. Demonstration of your work that allows us to easily evaluate the submission.
   • This often includes a brief video (screen capture with voiceover) that gives an overview of the project, the motivation behind it, and how it works to achieve it.
   • We also encourage basic documentation with a screenshot of the solution in action, list of features, and development guide if applicable. A great example is this README of the GitLab-Mattermost plugin.
3. A place to submit issues, such as a public issue tracker in GitHub.

Winning submissions (for cash prizes)

Must meet the minimum criteria for qualified submissions above. Moreover, the following criteria will be used to evaluate the submissions:

1. Impact to improving remote work.
2. Uniqueness of ideas.
3. Completeness of the submission, such as documentation and a polished user experience with few bugs.
4. Bonus points for submissions that are open source with a valid license.
5. Bonus points for submissions that integrate a combination of Jitsi and Mattermost.

Anything submitted after the due date is not going to be evaluated, except for changes to documentation made by November 21 (23:00 GMT-0).

Resources

You may join the hackathon's Mattermost server for asking questions / contacting the organization.

Jitsi

Here are some links to get you started with the Jitsi ecosystem:

• The Jitsi Meet Handbook.
• Web API for embedding the Jitsi Meet experience in other web apps.
• Mobile guide for adding Jitsi Meet capabilities to existing iOS / Android applications.
• Jitsi Meet mobile SDK samples.
• Jitsi State of the Union 2020.
• Jitsi forum

Mattermost

• Mattermost developer setup.
• Build a Mattermost plugin with Go and React.
• Mattermost RESTful API for lightweight integrations.
• Mattermost integrations directory for sample bots and integrations.
• Mattermost handbook
• Mattermost forum

Experts

Here are some experts (including their areas of expertise) you can reach out to on the Mattermost platform if you have questions. We highly recommend tagging them in the ~Q&A channel, so all participants can benefit from the answer.

• Nick Misasi (@/nick.misasi, Mattermost)
  • Javascript/node/react, backend languages like golang, and questions around hosting/ops type work
• Sudheer Timmaraju (@/sudheer, Mattermost)
  • Frontend, React, redux, or using plugin API's -- anything on the webapp side of things
• Hossein Ahmadian (@/hossein.ahmadian, Mattermost)
  • Any questions related to web/server
• Shota Gvinepadze (@/shota.gvinepadze, Mattermost)
  • Any questions relating to Mattermost, speciality is in plugins
• Saúl Ibarra Corretgé (@/saghul, Jitsi)
  • Any questions related to Jitsi
• Emily Cook (@/emily, Mattermost)
  • Any questions about the Hackathon itself

Prizes & Swag!

All qualified submissions will receive a swag kit.

Prizes

First place: $3,000 USD + Swag Kit
Second place: $2,000 USD + Swag Kit
Third place: $1,000 USD + Swag Kit

Swag Kit

The swag kit includes socks, a sticker sheet, and an exclusive Hacking from Home pen!