- Typically last between a day and a week. Some hackathons are intended simply for educational or social purposes, although in many cases the goal is to create usable software. Hackathons tend to have a specific focus, which can include the programming language used, the operating system, an application, an API, or the subject and the demographic group of the programmers.
Hackathon
noun; blending and clipping [hacking + marathon]
An event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, (including graphic designers, interface designers and project managers), collaborate intensively on software projects.
Etymology : "hack" is used in the sense of playful, exploratory programming, not its alternate meaning as a reference to computer crime. + suffix "athon" as in marathon, indicating an intense period or event
Source : Event flyer in my residential college October 2013
Last modified: 25 November 2013