Lafayettech, Microsoft and several groups at Purdue are offering to teach anyone how to build a computer app. There’s no cost for the camp, which is set for Thursday night on campus.
Lafayettech President Mikel Berger says that will be an information session and allow for the sharing of ideas.
“We’re really targeting people who wouldn’t call themselves software developers. They might have an idea for an app. They’re curious about how apps are written. So, we’re going to be showing some pretty basic tools that they can get started.”
He says there’s a lot more that goes into creating an app than writing code, citing the need for people with copy writing or graphic design skills.
Dozens of people from Greater Lafayette are expected to come together to meet the challenge from Microsoft. The computer company wants a 24 hour Hackathon event beginning Friday night to end with the creation of 150 new apps.
Berger says it’s an ambitious undertaking.
“Obviously, they’re not going to be super complicated apps, because we expect there to be a lot of beginners and there’s not much time,” he says. “We have some tools, some templates, to get people started.”
While the Hackathon runs for 24 hours, Berger says no one is required to stay that long.
The App Camp will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday in Purdue’s Burton Morgan Center Room 129. The Hackathon's apps building begins at 6 p.m. Friday.