According to Wikipedia, hackathon (also known as hack day, hackfest and codefest) is a gathering of software developers and other professionals to collaborate intensely on a software project.  It could last a day or two or even a week.  Usually the common purpose is to develop educational or social projects.  Recently, 40 software developers gathered in a hackathon in an office in San Francisco, California to design Ideo.org, an attempt to develop software to educate people in the city of Kumasi, Ghana about the shortage of bathrooms and unsanitary conditions.  Now the residents can report public sightings of human waste and along with Facebook, a digital map showing risky locations can be created.  Hackathon is simply refers to a programming marathon and not associated with harmful “hacking.”  Sun Microsystem is closely associated with creating the term due to its similar efforts to quickly develop programs.

Hackathons are not without controversy.  Some argue it is an attempt to exploit the young and the optimists by companies.  It is also accused of a way to get cheap labor with beer and pizza on a weekend.  But when it comes to public good, it appears to be working well for the benefit of the poor nations.