Hack on MDN

Background

MDN Web Docs (developer.mozilla.org) is a source of references, guides, and tutorials on standards-based web technologies, much loved by web developers. It was chosen as #1 for Documentation in the Developer’s Choice Awards for 2018, conducted by SlashData. MDN Web Docs is a wiki built on an open-source platform; as such, it is open to changes from anyone with a willingness to contribute, including web developers, designers, and documentarians.

Hack on MDN is a type of event where MDN contributors (staff, partners, and volunteers) meet for a day or more in the same location. The goal is to work on specific topics to make significant progress, which may result in documentation, site improvements, tools, prototypes, etc. Each event typically has a chosen focus, such as accessibility, web performance, or compatibility data; or the event might focus on a particular type of contribution activity, such as editing or localization. The focus varies from event to event.

Hack on MDN events are hackathons, that is events where people produce some kind of concrete output. These are no meetings events, meaning that meetings purely for discussion are not allowed. Each activity must have tangible results, and participants are encouraged to present their work, in groups, in a show-and-tell at the end of the event.

Goals

The purpose of Hack on MDN events is to accelerate the work on specific topics around MDN, to foster collaboration between participants, and to integrate new contributors into our existing community.

More specifically, these “Hack on MDN” events help to:

• Create useful content for MDN and to make “quantum leap” progress on specific projects or topics.
• Extend the Kuma platform to tailor it for specific topics.
• Foster a community by teaming people from different perspectives (volunteers, partners, employees) together.
• Integrate contributors into the MDN community.

Organizing Hack-on-MDN events

Most past Hack-on-MDN events have been organized by MDN staff team members. However, anyone is welcome to organize their own Hack-on-MDN event, consistent with the goals described here. It is recommended to have someone actively participating in the event who has strong experience with working with the MDN project, which could be MDN staff, core volunteers, or staff of Mozilla partners with MDN experience.

See the Hack-on-MDN How-to guide for suggestions about planning and running an event.

Upcoming events

• 20 Nov 2019, Hack on MDN: Web Performance in conjunction with performance.now() in Amsterdam.

Past events

The first two Hack on MDN events did not have specific themes; projects were proposed by attendees. In 2018, we shifted to the strategy of choosing a topical focus for each event. In 2019, we shifted from stand-alone 3-day events to single-day events in conjunction with relevant conferences.

• In 2014, Hack on MDN at Mozilla Paris.
• In 2015, Hack on MDN at Mozilla Berlin.
• Hack on MDN: March 2018 at Mozilla Paris. Theme: Browser compatibility data.
• Hack on MDN: September 2018 at Google's Campus London. Theme: Accessibility.
• Hack on MDN for web performance, in conjunction with #Perfmatters Conference, 4 April 2019.
• Hack on MDN for accessibility, in conjunction with John Slatin AccessU, 14 May 2019.
• Hack on MDN at Write the Docs Portland Writing Day, 19 May 2019.

And in previous years, we organized Doc Sprints, similar to Hack on MDN, but focused only on producing documentation.