Rather bleak report about the thinning of coders globally. This will have a huge impact on how software gets written and shared.

It is therefore, timely that the ITSC has been running a programming contest since 2007. The 2009 code::XtremeApps:: contest hopefully to stem this decline marginally. If you don’t cut code, how would you understand what goes on inside a piece of software to help make it better? Yes, there is a class of people who are good testers – without writing code – but ultimately, it is the coders who make the whole thing tick. It is like saying “oh, the blub in the lamp has fused. I have to call in an electrician to fix it.”

I am excited that we are running the 24-hr contest using Andriod and Python as the platforms for the open category and for the under-12-years-of-age, Squeak. Quick. Sign up. Closing date is May 25th – in 12 days. #fb