The MARCH Hack-a-Thon scheduled for March 8-9, 2025 has been CANCELLED. More details below:

We regret that the MARCH Hack-a-Thon scheduled to take place on March 8 & 9, 2025, at the InfoAge Science and History Museums, Wall, NJ, has been cancelled due to a lack of participation. Despite our best efforts to promote this event, we have only received one registration over the past month and a half.

The regularly scheduled MARCH Workshop, occurring on the same dates, is still ongoing. Details for the Workshop can be found here: Repair Workshops @ InfoAge – Vintage Computer Federation

While we believe the Hack-a-Thon has great merit and received numerous responses from individuals interested in participating, many were unable to attend on the scheduled dates for various reasons. As this is the first event of its kind that MARCH has decided to host, we are particularly disappointed by this outcome, but we understand the challenges involved in coordinating schedules.

We also understand this may be disappointing news, especially for those who were looking forward to showcasing their programming skills and creativity in the world of vintage computing. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Additionally, we recognize that some of you may have been looking forward to the outcomes of this event, even if you weren’t directly participating. Your enthusiasm and support mean a lot to us.

Based on the feedback we received, here are some reasons in the form of feedback that we believe led to the lack of participation, and subsequently, our decision to cancel the event, along with our thoughts:

Don’t feel they are good enough to compete.

We understand that some of you may feel hesitant to compete, thinking you might not be good enough. However, the MARCH Hack-a-Thon is designed to be a friendly and inclusive event where everyone, from beginners to experienced programmers, can participate. The spirit of the event is about learning, sharing, and celebrating our shared passion for vintage computing. Even if you don’t have extensive programming experience, your unique perspective and creativity are valuable. We encourage everyone to join in, have fun, and gain new skills in a supportive environment. Remember, every expert was once a beginner!

Wish the contest was open to more computer systems.

We acknowledge that our initial focus on specific 8-bit systems may have excluded some of you who are passionate about other validly classified vintage computing platforms. Your feedback is valuable to us, and we are considering opening future events to a wider range of computer systems to ensure more enthusiasts can participate. Since even systems that technically qualify as “8-bit” have a disparate array of capabilities and features, we felt that we could effectively grade submissions if we drew a line somewhere along the architecture aspect to provide a level of fairness. The grading rubric preview previously distributed reflects that notion. Future all-systems contests may consider a qualification cutoff based on the system’s introduction year, allowing for a broader range of participation while still maintaining the spirit of vintage computing.

Didn’t like that the contest was two days, possibly requiring the expense of an overnight stay for those out of town.

We understand that a two-day contest may not be feasible for everyone, particularly those who would need to incur additional expenses for overnight stays. The contest was initially considered to be a two-day event because we felt it provided a suitable amount of time for the nature of the task, as programming efforts of any kind often require more than a single day to complete. In the future, we will consider adjusting the event duration to better accommodate participants’ schedules and reduce potential costs. We are exploring options such as single-day events to ensure a more accessible and convenient experience for all participants.

Wish they could compete in the event from home.

We recognize that attending an in-person event may not be feasible for everyone due to distance, time, or other constraints. While we have always valued the importance of on-site participation for promoting a sense of community and the collaborative nature of group events, we are exploring ways to incorporate remote participation in future events. This approach will help us reach a broader audience and ensure that more people can engage with and contribute to the retro computing community, without sacrificing the sense of community and collaboration that makes these events special.

The contest was scheduled too soon.

We get it—some of you felt the contest was announced a bit last-minute, making it tough to prepare. One reason for the short timing was due to the first serious consideration back in December 2024 for MARCH to even host a Hack-a-Thon, our collective excitement to go for it, planning the concept, and then deciding that suitable prizes could include free tickets to the VCF-East 2025 event in April, making timing a bit of a constraint for the prizes to remain useful and valid. Going forward, we’ll make sure to announce events well in advance, giving you (and us) plenty of time to plan, prepare, and clear any personal schedules. Prizes for future Hack-a-Thons will vary.

Since this event coincides with one of our regular MARCH Repair Workshop events, we are allowing the now cancelled Hack-a-Thon to proceed in an informal capacity. Attendees are welcome to participate as though the contest were still on. There will be no grading, no strict adherence to the contest rules, nor any defined challenges. But I’m sure if you are looking for some ideas, any of our staff might be able to suggest a challenging idea for you to practice. Although no prizes will be awarded, this event provides a great opportunity to bring your vintage computer systems and practice your vintage computing skills in a friendly environment. If you wish to participate in an informal capacity, we would still appreciate the opportunity to gather a headcount. Please add your name to the linked spreadsheet below, and indicate in the second column that you’re attending the Hack-a-Thon only. Should enough informal participants attend, we may ask the attendees if they want us to reinstate the formal contest on the spot, including prizes, subject to a consensus of those in attendance who wish to continue under the original contest rules.

2025-03-8 March 8-9, 2025 – Google Sheets

Please note that Hack-a-Thon only participants will not receive a wristband granting access to MARCH Repair Workshop resources or other InfoAge museums and activities on campus, a benefit regularly granted to Workshop attendees through the standard $15 daily Workshop fee. This proposed informal Hack-a-Thon alternative is a unique opportunity to have a space to test your skills and enjoy the company of fellow enthusiasts without any fees or admission charges.

We are committed to fostering a vibrant and engaging community for retro computing enthusiasts and are exploring alternative dates or formats for future events. We will keep you updated with any further developments.

We are also pleased to announce that the next official in-person Hack-a-Thon event is projected to be on October 18 & 19, during the scheduled MARCH Workshop the same weekend. This new date takes into consideration many understood issues so far, such as not having enough time to be ready for the event, schedule conflicts (October 18 & 19 are not scheduled near any other major vintage computing events), lodging considerations (lodging near InfoAge is far cheaper after Labor Day than during Summer months), and provides more time for MARCH to refine the Hack-a-Thon concept as a whole. Future MARCH Hack-a-Thons will not just be programming contests. We plan to cover a wide range of computing skills as event themes, as long as they relate to the spirit of vintage computing.

Also note that all future Hack-a-Thons are not going to only be programming contests. Themes will vary, and may vary greatly between programming challenges, hardware challenges, both, or even something completely off-the-wall.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact the MARCH Events Manager at jeff.salzman@vcfed.org.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support. We ask, whether you plan, or don’t plan, on attending any MARCH Hack-a-Thons now or in the future, that you fill out the survey linked below to provide feedback on how MARCH can make Hack-a-Thons a worthy event for the vintage computing community.

MARCH Hack-a-Thon Survey

Sincerely,

Jeff Salzman
Events Manager
Steering Committee Member
Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists (MARCH)