The Code Shop is a bit like an old world coffee shop, artist studio and neighborhood garage rolled into one. You never really know who's going to be there or what's being worked on until you show up.
It's a meeting place for like minded people to band together to solve challenging problems and hack great software. A chance, but not a guarantee, to find a better way to scratch your software itch.
It's also a bit of a social experiment to see how small, ad-hoc, passion driven development teams succeed or flounder. It's attention and resourcing Darwinism in full frontal view. But don't tell anyone that unless you want to scare them off.
We'll find out won't we? The idea is simple really.
Maybe you're up for a challenge or just curious. Meander down to The Code Shop and see if anything being discussed or worked on grabs your fancy.
Or you may have a great new software idea or a killer way to rehabilitate an existing software project. But you're having a tough time getting anyone to pay attention. You've been accused of ranting and complaining. But that's not stopped you.
You don't have all the time in the world or the expertise to do it yourself. If you had any sense you would have dropped it a long time ago. But you still keep coming back to scratch the itch. Admit it, you're addicted.
Drive that idea up to The Code Shop, pull it up on the lift, and see whether you can persuade other code mechanics to roll up their sleeves and help solve the puzzle. You may get lucky.
Check out the current projects summary and our FAQ for more info. Then swing over to our mailing list and start something great.
What, you were expecting a miracle and someone else to scratch your itch for you? C'mon. You know it doesn't work that way.
The Code Shop can help your quest in two ways. First, it's a baazar at which to promote your ideas and try to find interested people, and second, it's a place to start working on your ad-hoc project with your new mechanic friends.
I know what you're thinking, that doesn't really add much value. There's nothing stopping you from doing something similar.
You're right up to a point. But my guess is you've already tried something similar and it's failed. So try something, anything, different and see what happens.
The worst case scenario is that The Code Shop turned out to be a dead end. But you may have linked up with others and become so successful that you've outgrown The Code Shop garage and need a shiny new place of your own.