Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

Canonical announces Ubuntu Apps Showdown

Linux developers will soon have a chance to compete for prizes of laptops and smartphones, thanks to Canonical's announcement today of the Ubuntu App Showdown contest.

MORE OPEN-SOURCE: Can Mozilla right the ship?

Developers will have from June 18 until July 9 - a total of three weeks - to create an app using Canonical's Quickly development tool, which combines Python and GTK into a single Ubuntu-centric package.

The resulting apps will be judged by a five-member panel, with the developers of the top three receiving new Nokia N9 smartphones. In addition, second place will get a System76 Lemur Ultra laptop, and the overall winner will get a System76 Gazelle Professional laptop. Moreover, the top three vote-getters in a community poll will also qualify for an N9.

At the contest's start, Canonical will run several workshops focused on giving developers a basic rundown of how to use Quickly, and the company encouraged interested parties to seek assistance on its AskUbuntu service.

Entries will be judged on innovation, appearance, stability, platform integration and overall utility, and Canonical has set up a subreddit - r/UbuntuAppShowdown - to allow users to swap ideas and brainstorm more effectively. Current entries include a virtual programming environment for children and a simulation of grilling food on a charcoal fire. (It must be noted that most of these entries appear to come from Canonical employees, however.)

The contest bears some similarity to the popular game jam format, in which computer game developers crank out ad hoc offerings in sleepless marathon sessions and compete for prizes. The three-week time frame, however, makes for a slightly more relaxed atmosphere.

Canonical hopes that the competition helps to raise awareness of Quickly, and popularize the toolkit among developers.

Email Jon Gold at jgold@nww.com and follow him on Twitter at @NWWJonGold.

Read more about software in Network World's Software section.

Recommended

  1. Think Tank: Managing the talent pool

  2. Characteristics of emotional intelligence

  3. More Australians are using mobiles to connect to ...

    CMO

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

Comments are now closed.
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • Saving Time and Money with Savvy Use of Flash in Automated Storage Tiering
    In a sluggish economy, getting the best ROI on every IT dollar spent is the top priority for almost every business. Storage budgets in most IT environments continue to remain flat or are capped as a percentage of the overall IT spend, while data storage requirements continue to grow at an unsustainable pace. Download now to learn about the benefits of using flash in automated storage tiering.
    Learn more »
  • Maximising productivity without sacrificing security
    Advances in mobility and client computing technology combined with the ubiquity of the Internet and social media are creating a culture and desire for constant connectivity and anywhere access to information. As these trends extend from the home into the work place, IT managers should consider seriously the opportunities for increased productivity and communication with customers and constituents, as well as understand the increased security risks posed by online, anytime access to private networks and data. Read more.
    Learn more »
  • Getting Real About Security Management and Big Data – A Roadmap for Big Data in Security Analytics
    It’s an exciting yet daunting time to be a security professional. Security threats are becoming more aggressive and voracious. This whitepaper examines the escalating complexity for the security management environment; how to get more meaning from data already collected and the combination of infrastructure, analytic tools and threat intelligence need to drive business value from Big Data. Download now.
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments