Rails Hackfest 2007...What's going on? - Part II

I tried to call Mr. Sivers this morning, but I could not get through to him, or even leave a message. I just sent him an email asking all the questions I have. Here is the email (i will post his response when i have it.):

Mr. Sivers,

I am writting and article about the Rails Hackfest 2007, and more specifically the recent closing and reopening of the contest.

I tried calling you earlier today at CD Baby, but i was told by Kevin Bruner (sp?) that you are rarely in the office and I am better off not calling back, but sending an email. What follows is a list of questions I would like to ask you. I would appreciate it if either we could speak on the telephone, or if you might answer them via email. In either case I would like to thank you in advance, both for your generosity in sponsoring this contest, and for the time you have taken to answer these questions.

In the interest of full disclosure before beginning, I would like to mention that I am currently number six in the contest.

1. The http://www.workingwithrails.com/contests/hackfest2007 has a link to this page, http://www.oreillynet.com/ruby/blog/2007/01/cd_baby_awards_free_railsconf.html, where you are announcing the contest, it seems as though this post serves as the only official rules. Is this post meant to act as official rules of the contest? Are there official rules? Where and when were they posted?

2. In the announcement you state "RailsConf is opening registration soon after January 22 - that’s why we have to make the Jan 22 cutoff date." On the morning of the 22nd, rather than have a list of standings or winners, there was an announcement that the totals are being tallied, and the winners will be announced shortly. But by mid day, that announcement had been removed and the current standings returned, with a note saying, "22nd Jan Update: Registration is still to be announced so the contest will continue to run until then." This seems to be changing the rules mid stream. First the contest will close on Jan 22, then it will close whenever RailsConf Registration opens. What happened? Was this planned? Why didn't the contest end as the announcement stated? Are you concerned that some people will win and other loose as a result of the date change? Are you concerned about possible legal action that those who lost might take?

3. When will the contest end?

4. On 1/21, Jamie Quint, currently in 14th place, posted this to the Rails Core Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-core/browse_thread/thread/4f6288d7755c947e/3f3491101d8f6cf4?hl=en#3f3491101d8f6cf4 What is really interesting is the response by Rails Core Member, Koz, "With the current score-keeping taking place, I'd err on the side of patches which are too large, lest one be accused of artificially driving up one's score." Is there any involvement by the Core Team in the contest? If so, what is their involvement? Are contributions going to be scrutinized for content? If so, what criteria would be used to evaluate contributions? Do you have a plan to remedy disputes?

5. On 1/22, Rich Collins, currently in 8th place, posted this to the Rails Core Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-core/browse_thread/thread/057f6559d608bb43/203348ca1cb3e2ec?hl=en#203348ca1cb3e2ec It seems as though the scoring algorithm was changed as a result of this post. Rich Collins moved from 20th place to 8th place, I moved from 7th to 6th. (We both made contributions on that date. I do not want to imply that anything improper took place, only to state the fact of our ranking change.) Did the scoring algorithm change on that date, or any other date during the contest? How are scores being calculated? In your opinion, does it matter if the scoring algorithm is accurate so long as it is the same scoring for all?

6. Today, 1/23, Josh Susser, currently in 10th place, posted this to the Rails Core Mailing List: http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-core/browse_thread/thread/13ff6e7301629839/d91e1161204f53a3?hl=en#d91e1161204f53a3 Do you have any comments about this post and it's replies?

7. Do you think anything inappropriate has taken place? Do you think that people might reasonably feel or think that something inappropriate has taken place? What are you feelings regarding this?

8. Considering all of the emotions the contest has stirred, do you think it was worth doing? Do you think you might do something like this again, either with Rails or outside of Rails (Will you show your generosity by sponsoring this type of contest again)? What do you think of the expression "No good deed goes unpunished?"

Thank you once again for taking the time to answer these questions.

--

Thank you, Steven A Bristol