Hot dog harmony

Are software developers the same all over the world? Well, if the last 24 hours here at the Yahoo! Open Hack Day in Bangalore India are anything to go by, I can give you three good reasons why engineers of all shapes and sizes all over the world share a common DNA.

Reason 1: Focus –

With a dopey case of jet lag and a complete lack of life-sustaining alcohol to keep me going, I eventually had to sleep last night. No such rest for the 200 or so coders at this venue. Fuelled by a combination of access to APIs that they previously didn’t know were open to them, a determination (perhaps) to be “noticed” by the execs here – and innumerable cans of Red Bull, these guys (and just two girls) kept going all night. With a 15-foot high countdown clock and access to architectural specialists all night long spurring them on, when I came down for breakfast this morning most of them were still going strong.

Reason 2: Technology proximity –

This is a ‘face down in the keyboard’ event. The attendees are enthusiastic, self-assured and subversively conspiratorial as they quietly plot to beat their competitor peers with an idea for the ‘next big thing’. They’re not phased either, even as Yahoo! co-founder David Filo strolls in between the tables and bean bags – nobody is stopping for autographs or brown nosing. These developers know they’re being judged on their ideas and nothing more.

Reason 3: Hot dogs –

As much as I was looking forward to a spicy chicken shaslick last night, when I got to the buffet with my glass of 7Up I was faced with a selection of Western-style potato crisps and hotdogs. Looking wistfully for some chilli sauce all I could find was ketchup. Sensing my disappointment, an Indian chap next to me smiled, grabbed three hot dogs and said, “ah, developer food!”