Code XtremeApps, Singapore’s round-the-clock computer programming competition will be back for a second installment this July said the Information Technology Standards Committee (ITSC). The competition, which what first held in September last year, aims to promote... |
Code XtremeApps, Singapore’s round-the-clock computer programming competition will be back for a second installment this July said the Information Technology Standards Committee (ITSC).
The competition, which what first held in September last year, aims to promote greater awareness on the use and value of standards in programming, cultivate programming talent and interest and change the conventional mindset that programming is mundane to one that is fun, exciting, creative and profitable.
At the competitions’ official launch last week, Robert Chew, Chairman of the national ITSC said besides targeting tertiary students and practicing industry professionals this year the competition will also open up to a much younger audience.
The competition, which will take place on July 19 and held under a tight 24 hour schedule, is made up of two categories – The Open Category and the Junior Category.
The Open Category is accessible to anyone who has some programming background. Participants will be expected to develop Web 2.0 mashups and Rich Internet Applications which are fun and engaging, based on the announced theme. They will be given IBM Project Zero and Adobe Air as mandatory frameworks to develop their concepts on, but will also be allowed to choose from a slew of optional technologies that include Java, PHP, Ruby on Rails, Google APIs, Facebook APIs and OpenLaszio.
The actual theme of the application to be developed will only be announced on the actual day of the competition so that all participants are at a level playing field.
The participants of the Junior Category-- who will have to meet the age criteria of 12 years and below--will be asked to complete a task creatively based on a given theme using Alice, a 3D programming tool. They can create animations for telling a story, playing an interactive game or a video to share on the Web.
Mr. Chew told SDA Asia that with the new Junior Category, the ITSC seeks to instill in the young, an interest in code writing, which is not very prevalent within this age group at the moment. By catching them at this impressionable age, the competition aims to give the youngsters a flavour of what is it like to write in code, preferably accentuating their interest in this field and subsequently increasing the number of programmers in the future.
“…we have included a category this year for children 12 years and below to inspire them to start extending their creativity to the online universe, and to demonstrate that computer programming can indeed by appreciated at a young age,” said Mr. Chew.
Mr. Chew also said that Alice was hand picked as the tool of choice so as to create a more feminine stance, allowing them to reach out to young girls as the industry has seen a dwindle in the number of female programmers over the years.
Last years event drew some 168 contestants and encompassed the theme “Creative Participatory Society” which required the participants to develop a tool that would promote Singapore’s tourism industry.
The winning application was a forum which allowed the locals to advice tourists on the lesser known “sight and sounds” of the country, so that they will be able to get the true Singapore experience instead of taking the more conventional route of visiting the hyped up “touristy” sites. The website is currently in beta-testing.
According to the ITSC, 80% of the 168 contestants from last year were tertiary students and the remaining 20% were industry professional who came form both small and medium enterprises and from IT departments in large financial organisations.
The ITSC expects this year’s turnout to be equipollent in response, if not more. Teams can expect to win attractive cash prizes of up to SGD 9000.
For more information please visit www.itsc.org.sg |
