I’ve been toying with this idea for a while now, and now that Leopard is coming out, it’s finally time to make it happen! I call it NSCoder Night! (Major thanks to Scott Stevenson for coming up with the name!) Here’s the inaugural announcement:
> NSCoder Night Silicon Valley will be having its inaugural get-together between 7:00 and 9:00 PM on October 30, 2007 — next Tuesday night — at Orchard Valley Coffee in Campbell, CA. From then on, we’ll be getting together there every Tuesday!
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> What’s the point? To get together with other folks who are also writing Cocoa code for Mac OS X, of course! There’s no formal structure, which is why I described it as a “get-together” rather than a meeting. There’s no need to RSVP, either; just show up if you like, or don’t if you can’t make it. Just bring your brain, laptop, and enthusiasm, pick up one of the tasty drinks available at Orchard Valley Coffee, and have a great time!
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> Why did I pick Orchard Valley Coffee for the inaugural Silicon Valley get-together? I first went there one afternoon during a little vacation I took after WWDC, and I found it a nice, large, relaxing place. It has wireless connectivity, reasonable hours, plenty of room, and great drinks, and it’s also quite accessible since it’s right in the heart of downtown Campbell.
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> So come on down, say hi, and see just how much fun it is to hang out and hack for a couple hours!
Want to hold your own NSCoder Night? Just let me know — here, on the NSCoder Night web site, or via email — and I’ll post the announcement. Hopefully we’ll have get-togethers across the world, even in places where there’s not yet a CocoaHeads chapter.
What’s the difference between NSCoder Night and CocoaHeads? CocoaHeads is a once-a-month user group meeting, typically with presentations and demos. NSCoder Night is a weekly get-together, a time to talk to your fellow hackers, to get help with issues you’re bumping into, to show off cool tricks, and to actually have some time specifically set aside for your side projects.