These are some of the FAQs from the We Are Microsoft FAQ page. We thought they were good, and we couldn't come up with anything better. We've changed some of the answers. If you have any questions not listed here, email us at info@coders4charities.org. Here they are

For dates, times, and schedule information, click here..

Charity 

When will this event take place? Friday, April 25, 5:00 PM, to Sunday, April 27, 5:00 PM

How do I register for the event? Registration is now closed for the upcoming event.

Will there be press at the event? We don't know yet. We are contacting some local news stations.

When is the deadline for submitting proposals? Registration is now closed for the upcoming event.

What types of applications can I request? These are some ideas:

• Add a new section to your website.
• Track volunteers for an upcoming event.
• Run a silent auction.
• Register visitors to your website.

What do you need from me? Please provide a description of a project that you would like our developers to tackle. It does not need to be a whole website - it may be just for an upcoming event. Or, it can be for a small application. If you are selected, two of your members must attend the kick-off meeting on Friday afternoon and at least one of your members must attend the Demo on Sunday afternoon. The person who attends the demo should be your technical expert.

Will I be able to modify my application? We hope so! We are talking to Microsoft to see if they will provide the same giving baskets they provided at We Are Microsoft. If we can get them, you will be provided with all of the software, licenses and books your team of developers used to implement your application.

Where will my application be hosted? We are looking at several site hosting companies in the area to see if they will provide free hosting for a number of years. If you already have your own hardware or a hosting provider, you will be provided with instructions on how to deploy your new application.

How many charities can you help? We plan on helping at least 15 charities.

How will the charities be selected? You must complete your proposal to be considered. Your proposal should be something your team of developers can tackle in a weekend. For example, we will not consider 18-month projects! Also, the more detailed your proposal the more likely you will be selected.

What should my proposal include? Your proposal will be used as the blueprint for your application. The more specific your proposal, the happier you will be with your application. This is just some of the information that you should include:  

• What is the objective of the system? Describe the problem this system will solve.
• Are you requesting a new application or an update to an existing application?
• If it is not a new application what software was used to create your existing solution?
• Will you be hosting your application?
• What information will you need to track? List the primary data tables and add a brief description of what data each will hold.
• Do any users have special needs?
• Describe the ongoing needs for importing data into the system, and exporting it from the system.
• List any reports.
• Describe any complex processing/posting/import/export routines? Can some of these processes be run unattended?
• Describe performance requirements, issues, and concerns.
• Describe security requirements.

You can google 'Conceptual Design Samples' for some examples. Please feel free to email any additional information about your existing application or your organization to info@coders4charities.org.

 

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Volunteer

Who is Coders4Charities? We are Doug Butscher, Jeff Julian, and John Alexander. We're geeks. We're very active in the developer community, and we want to do something in our area.

How do I register for the event? Registration is now closed for the upcoming event..

Will there be wireless internet available? Yes

What time should I arrive? You should plan to arrive by 4:00 PM, April 25, 2008 for registration, check-in and a tour of the facility.

What about parking? There is plenty of parking around the building.

How late can we stay? Com as early and leave as late as you want. We (the organizers) will be there [practically] 24/7.

Can we form our own teams? Yes. If you would like to form your own team of 3-5 people, that would be very helpful. Please keep in mind that each team will have at least 1 Developer, 1 DBA and 1 Designer. 

• The Developer will be responsible for programming the front-end and the business logic layer.
• The DBA will be responsible for the tables, stored procedures and the data access layer.
• The Designer will be responsible for creating the master page and the cascading style sheet.

When you register, please enter your team's name in the Team Name field. Developer Registration form

Can I pick the project I work on? Once the projects have been selected, they will be listed on the website and you will be able to rank your preference.

Will there be whiteboards available for our use? Yes

Do we need to bring our own equipment? We would prefer you bring your own laptop, if possible. Centriq has said they would let us use some of their machines, but they will need to be re-imaged on Sunday night. We would like to *not* burden our gracious hosts by asking their IT staff to stay after we are done. 

What will the work environment be like? Each team will be assigned a training room, with access to overhead projectors, whiteboards, and keyboards and monitors if necessary. Centriq is a triaining facility with about 20 training rooms. There is also a break room, and a meeting room, which is where the judging will take place. You can code anywhere except the hallways (and the bathrooms)

When do you have to finish by? Please have your application completed by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 27.

This is a competition - who can vote on the winner? Everyone that attends the demonstrations can vote. Developers/teams/charities cannot vote for themselves.

What is the judging criteria? There are 2 criteria: 

1. Meets the business requirement
2. Wows the audience

Will there be other awards? Yes. We will also have "fun" awards such as "Best Use of Animation" and "Geekiest Solution".

 

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Partner

If I make a donation to this event, will I be recognized on the website? We cannot accept monetary donations, as we are not a 501(c)(3). If you would like to offer assistance, please contact us (info@coders4charities.org) to see how you can help. It would be great if you were willing to provide food, drinks, giveaways, prizes, relevant software, books, etc.