Hacker's Workshop: Learn Kotlin, save the world

Hacker's Workshop is a hands-on session where people learn Kotlin by solving puzzles in a browser. This talk explains what the workshop is, and how it was built.

The first part introduces the workshop. Each puzzle is a small function to write. You see one test case, write your code and run it. Then hidden test cases check the edges you missed. When they all pass, the next puzzle opens.

The second part is the puzzle loop. The editor runs in the browser. A self-hosted Kotlin compiler server turns the code into WebAssembly, and the page runs it against each test case. The same tests run in an end-to-end suite, which also records the demo videos. This part also looks at the AI coding assistant coming to the editor, which uses Gemini, and at how it is built.

The third part is the hardware behind the workshop. Its parts are generated by Fusion 360 scripts from one file of dimensions, then 3D printed. The talk covers the components, how they fit together, and how they connect to live video and controls through LiveKit.

We'll be running the workshop during the day at the DevFest. More details on the workshop itself here: https://hacker.workshop.kanawish.com/proposal