For Montréal hackers, there are already established groups such as MontrealPython, phpQuébec or Montreal.rb, which have been running for years and lets you find peers to learn about what other people are doing.
Those are popular programming languages though, and for those who are interested in more exotic languages or a brand new framework, there is no other choice than seeing what’s on the Internet. That’s the case for nodejs, scala, backbone, and even related interests such as data vizualisation.
Since we’re in Montréal, most know about the Fringe Festival, where creativity is celebrated without limits, with acceptance of newcomers, in the spirit that anyone has his/her chance. The fringe festival is then the only way a student or aspiring artists can launch a show, or for established artists to do something fun, and with that “camp” attitude where everyone (including audience) is encouraged to participate.
Now, FringeDev doesn’t have official dates or venues yet, but you can guess what the goal is: get everyone interested in learning and sharing about new technologies, in the same spirit as the Fringe Festival. For hackers, it might have a person presenting something new & exciting, and then getting everyone to hack/program/learn/show in a later workshop. Ever wanted to see what’s up with Tornado, or play with new APIs? Well, now you have an option. Previously, there was no event offering this.
Sounds interesting? If you’re a hacker, or someone interested in challenges and new technologies, then you should certainly be. There should be something up on the site soon, or you can also follow @fringedev, and also meet the rest of the group in regular tech meetups in Montreal (think MontrealPython, StartupDrinks etc.)
