Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!rice!uupsi!ficc!peter From: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) Newsgroups: comp.org.acm Subject: Re: Programming contests (was Re: Yet another posting...: ) Message-ID: Date: 13 May 91 16:11:49 GMT References: <9105020134.AA29577@enuxha.eas.asu.edu> > <1991May11.185651.20462@nuchat.sccsi.com> Reply-To: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) Distribution: na Organization: Xenix Support, FICC Lines: 14 In article <1991May11.185651.20462@nuchat.sccsi.com> steve@nuchat.sccsi.com (Steve Nuchia) writes: > Sounds like a good idea, but I think there is a trap here. In particular, > there is a disincentive to making the initial program easy to modify, > easy to understand, etc. Not at all. Doing that would lose you points in the selection phase. In fact the point system could be arranged that the authors of the first-half program get some fractional points from the people who chose their code for the second half, and with enough teams the overall winning strategy could become simply to blow off the second half altogether and get as many second-half winners using your first-half code. -- Peter da Silva; Ferranti International Controls Corporation; +1 713 274 5180; Sugar Land, TX 77487-5012; `-_-' "Have you hugged your wolf, today?"