Cambridge .NET user group - Open coding day, building user group website using MVC, TDD and Agile

Saturday June 13th, 10am till 4:30pm
The open coding day is so that we can build our website using ASP.NET, MVC, Agile and TDD, with the website will going up on www.camdug.com.

The primary *need* for a group website:
...is so that we can get ranked #1 in google for search results for .NET and cambridge, this will help any of our members looking for work with local businesses, as well as make it possible for developers living in Cambridge to easily find the user group.

What's wrong with Meetup?
Nothing. I dont want to replace the meetup facility, that's too much work for a single day for a group of developers, rather we should look to integrate with it. ?? (all ideas will be put onto post it notes on a board when we get together, unconference style, and we pick what we want to do, my suggestions are just to get us going.)

Unconference
We get a group of us together, decide what we want on the group website. one of us get's nominated as the "customer" and then using TDD and Agile we build the entire site and check it into Google code. (or whatever other process we agree on the day to follow.)

Rules for the day

• Whoever comes are the right people
  
• Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
  
• Whever it starts is the right time
  
• When it's over, it's over
  

I'm open to change this description as anyone sees fit, please comment, phone or email me.

I'm opening the invitation to any developer, not just Cambridge .net user group members. You don't even need to be a .NET developer, php, java, ruby all great, you can pair program with someone on the day.

Agenda

Start time around 10am. (depending on buses and trains from London for those attending from London.)
finish at :4:30pm then off to the river and pub for drinks and dinner.

I can offer accommodation in our spare room for anyone coming up from London for the Friday or Saturday night. (1 person or a couple. )

Because it's at my house, I'm limiting the event to 12 people for now, but will see if I can get a venue if we have more interest.

PRE-REQUISITES
If you want to code on the day you'll ideally have some or all:Visual Studio 2008 or webexpress, Tortoise SVN, Resharper , Gallio + MBUnit.

9:30am early bird download and install:
If you don't have any of these then please arrive at 9:30, and we'll get you up and running with anything you're missing so that we're all ready to start by 10am.

drinks, dinner and networking afterwards
Saturday's coding should be an interesting session, tdd and mvc are hot topics at the moment
so should be fun. It's a day's coding and depending how many people come along it promises to be a whole evening of dinner and drinks if you're able to stay a bit later. Code will be checked into Google code at the end of the day.

If you have a problem finding our house/flat, just call me on the morning on 01223 520347 and I'll guide you in.

cheers all

Alan