A hackathon, a hacker neologism, is an event when programmers meet to do collaborative computer programming. The spirit of a hackathon is to collaboratively build programs and applications. Hackathons are typically between several days and a week in length. A hackathon refers not simply to one time hacks, but to a specific time when many people come together to hack on what they want to, how they want to - with little to no restrictions on direction or goal of the programming.
The term "sprint" is used to describe shorter events of a similar nature, which typically only last a few days. Another name for events of this type, used primarily among Linux users, is "codefest", a combination of the words code and festival, drawing its name from installfest, an event at Linux User Groups.
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Since the original in 1999, OpenBSD has had at least a hackathon a year. During the hackathon, many of the developers come together for a period which usually sees rapid OpenBSD development. The original hackathon took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and was attended by ten developers. It was focused on cryptographic development; part of the reason for holding it in Canada was to avoid legal problems caused by United States regulations on the export of cryptographic software. The designation for each subsequent hackathon has been marked by this, as OpenBSD has used c, standing first for crypto and later for Calgary, as the first letter of these events. Since then, hackathons have become a big event, a week-long gathering during which more than 60 developers from around the world come together to drink beer, listen to humppa music—like that of Eläkeläiset—hike, and hack on OpenBSD.
Recent hackathons include the globally coordinated Random Hacks of Kindness, a semi-annual competitive hacking event where anyone interested in technology (software developers, independent hackers, students, etc.) comes together with experts in disaster risk management (NGOs, organizations within the U.N., individuals involved in relief and development work) to create software-based solutions that address problems causing human suffering. See RHoK.org
A sprint is a short period of software development. Sprints have become popular events among some open source projects. For example, the PyPy project is developed the most through regularly held sprints, where most of the international team gathers. They are often held near conferences which most of the project's team attends, but they can also be hosted by some involved party at their premises or some interesting location.
The practice of using sprints for pivotal development was pioneered by the Zope Corporation in the early days of the Zope 3 project, where the greatest improvements in the software were made during the gatherings. From January 2002 until the start of 2006, more than 30 Zope 3 sprints have taken place.
The sprints organized by companies often focus on the concepts of the Extreme Programming software development method. There the sprint is directed by the coach, who suggests tasks, tracks their progress and makes sure that none of the developers encounter insurmountable difficulties. Often the development happens in pairs or small teams. A large open space is often chosen as a venue for efficient communication.
Sprints can vary in focus. During some sprints people new to the project are welcomed and get an intensive hands-on introduction pairing with an experienced project member. The first part of such sprints is usually spent getting ready, presenting the tutorials, getting the network setup and version control systems working on everyone's laptops. A different kind of sprint is where only the core team gathers and gets some important work done in a concentrated manner.
As with the larger hackathons, a significant benefit of sprinting is that the project members meet in person, socialize, and start to communicate more effectively than when working together remotely.