Crank on Calagator to make sure the Portland tech community stays connected–and other communities stay connected too

If you’re interested in staying up-to-date on tech events in Portland, then you need look no further than Calagator, the tech calendar for Portland.

But did you know that the whole Calagator goodness is open source? That’s right. Anyone who wants to start a calendar system, slurp events from other hCalendar marked up systems, and make their community a whole heck of a lot more happy, can download Calagator code and build a calendar of their own. Just like Corvalligator. And BendCal.

How cool is that? That’s right. Really cool. But that takes work. And that’s why there are Calagator code sprints—like the code sprint this weekend. So that you can help maintain and build out the awesome code that runs Calagator. And it’s associated sites.

The software was developed through code sprints, where volunteers meet up to write and improve the application. The group used agile development methods from the start and has been able to provide a solid, functioning site from the first meeting on. Using these software development practices has helped developers share knowledge, made it easier for new developers to join in, and kept the code behind the application stable and maintainable. Although the application is written using Ruby on Rails, the group welcomes non-Ruby developers to participate. The code sprints also involve community members that contribute design, project direction, and documentation.

So take a few minutes away from scarfing down the Halloween candy you’re supposed to be handing out on Sunday and head on over to NedSpace Old Town—Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM—where you can help the Calagator faithful working on the code.

Published by Rick Turoczy

More than mildly obsessed with the Portland startup community. Founder and editor at Silicon Florist. Cofounder and general manager at PIE. Follow me on Twitter: @turoczy View all posts by Rick Turoczy