iRule. Do You? Winners Announced.

Congratulations to the 2009 iRule. Do You? winners! Compared to previous years, it is worth noting that the competition for top-spots in both the Customer and Partner divisions was incredibly tight. In fact, the community voting – a first for this contest – actually played a role in determining the final outcome (as it should, given how great this community is). So, while we have to crown top winners, everyone of the finalists really delivered spectacular iRules that demonstrate creativity and flair.

And, the winners are…

Customer Winners
1st     Chetan Bhatt (USA) – "Pool Member Status List"
2nd    Kris Weinhold (USA) – "Siteminder Authentication Rule (Login External, NTLM Internal)"
3rd    Jari Leppala (Finland) – "RTSP-Redirect"

F5 Partner Winners
1st    Sake Blok / Ion-IP (Netherlands) – "EncryptOutgoingSOARequest"
2nd   Henrik Gyllkrans / Advanced IP Scandinavia AB (Sweden) – "Cookie Tampering Prevention"
3rd    Levin Chen / Sinogrid Information Technology (China) – "iRules_deny_repeat_login_ok"

They have all selected the prizes from our list of options and will be receiving their goodies shortly. (surprise, surprise – anything Apple was a hit with MacBooks and Cinema Displays the collective choices!)

We want to thank ALL of the participants; this edition was more difficult than ever to judge due to the volume and quality of entries. There were some additional iRules – we call them “Honorable Mention” finalists – that didn’t make the top 6 but deserve recognition. So, check them out as well.

We want to acknowledge and thank all of our celebrity judges from Dr. Dobb’s, Dell’Oro Group, and Enterprise Strategy Group as well. Jon, Alan, and Jon each invested time and energy reviewing entries, offering their comments, all freely and simply at our asking. F5 and our community are fortunate they appreciate the spirit of DevCentral and I encourage you to visit their sites, blogs, and learn more about what they do. They are ALL top-notch in their respective fields and you will likely benefit from paying attention to what they say.

Special recognition goes to our F5 “guest guru” judge Kirk Bauer and the DevCentral guys as well. Kirk’s dedication – to spend hours judging in the wee hours of the morning just to make sure his work was done before leaving later that day for a long holiday vacation – is remarkable and embodies the F5 culture. The DevCentral guys also contributed as usual. I see the team everyday and they put tremendous thought and energy into helping make your community something that makes your life better, easier, and hopefully fun too.

In the end, I find it incredibly inspiring and humbling each time we do these contests. What captures the spirit of the contributors, and community best for me, are the comments 2nd Place Partner Henrik Gyllkrans made when he learned he had been selected one of the best. His sentiments unquestionable represent the collective attitude that makes the DevCentral community truly special:

“I’m proud and honored that my iRule was received so well by the judges. I hope this iRule can help organizations around the world to deliver better and more secure sites.”

With that said, congratulations to the winners. Jump on over to the 2009 iRule. Do You? contest section to learn more and check out some cool iRules!