Perth Hackfest October 2012

Developer meetings > Perth Hackfest October 2012

When	Mon Oct 22 to Fri Oct 26
Where	Quay West Resort, Bunker Bay near Margaret River
Alternate name	Hacktoberfest

What is a Hackfest?

A Hackfest brings together key Moodle developers to brainstorm future Moodle developments.

Some of the outcomes will be:

• Ideas for solutions to existing problems
• Specifications for architecture changes in future versions
• Actual bug fixing and improvements.

There will also be scheduling sessions, group sessions, reporting sessions, and plenty of opportunities to socialise and have fun.

Who is the Hackfest for?

The Hackfest is for Moodle core developers. Ideally attendees will have contributed to Moodle core code already, or at least be involved in large customised installations. Moodle HQ developers and component leads from Moodle Partners and universities are expected to be in attendance. We plan to hit the ground running.

We are hoping to have about 40 attendees. If we have too many apply then we will unfortunately need to make some selections.

If you'd like to come, please let us know as soon as possible so we can accommodate you. Send an email to michaeld@moodle.com.

What are the costs?

For attendees who are not Moodle HQ staff, unfortunately we will have to ask you or your organisation to pay for you to get to and from Perth.

On the Hackfest, we'll cover you. We will be organising buses to take us all from Perth to the venue. Accommodation at the venue and most food is also paid for.

Travelling to the Hackfest

We will meet at Moodle HQ (map) at 9am on Monday 22 Oct. We will also collect attendees from the Comfort Hotel (Perth City), but please let Michael d know if your are staying there.

We will be travelling to the venue in a number of minibuses. Travelling will take approximately three-and-a-half hours. We hope to arrive at the venue for lunch followed by our first planning session.

We will return to Perth on Friday afternoon. If you must catch a flight on Friday evening, please let Michael d know so we can make special arrangements.

Visas

Anyone travelling from overseas should check their eligibility at the Australian Department of Immigration site and, depending on where you are coming from, look at either:

• an Electronic Travelling Authority (ETA) or
• an e-Visitor visa.

These are very inexpensive visas, and will apply to most people. The expected approval time for these is 2-10 days. Application can be made online.

The ETA is relevant to passport holders in:

Brunei, Canada, Hong Kong (SAR), Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, United States of America

The eVisitor visa relates to those with a passport from:

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Republic of San Marino, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom - British Citizen, Vatican City

If you are not eligible for either of these visa types, you will need to look at a 977 Visa, and if you haven't already applied for this, you should get moving because it will take some time to have it approved - and you are looking at a cost of around AUD110.

If you have questions re: Visas, please contact Bree on bree@moodle.com and I'll try to help you out.

Staying in Perth before and after the Hackfest

If you are travelling from overseas, you may wish to stay in Perth for a day or more before and/or after the Hackfest.

For accommodation, the Comfort Hotel (Perth City) is cheap and relatively close to Moodle HQ. We will be make this hotel a pick-up/drop-off location if people are staying there. If you are staying elsewhere, please make your own way to Moodle HQ before we leave.

For touristy things to do while visiting Perth, we recommend this list of activities (in a form you will understand).

If you're staying in Perth on a weekday before or after the event, feel free to stop into the Moodle HQ office and say "hi".