# Anyone here going to compete in Google Code Jam?



## pjk (Jun 24, 2008)

Anyone here going to compete in Google Code Jam? $10,000 grand prize.

It seems like it will be an awesome competition.


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## masterofthebass (Jun 24, 2008)

I'm signed up. I just want the free t-shirt


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## boiiwonder (Jun 24, 2008)

nope 


BTW masterofbass

does you name refer to the inturment or the fish?


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## badmephisto (Jun 24, 2008)

but of course  I'll do anything that has Google logo stapled to it


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## Lucas Garron (Jun 24, 2008)

I entered, but I'll only do it if they allow me to use Mathematica.
I've been told I can, then that I can't, so dunno yet...

I've considered running some of it in POV-Ray, though.


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## Derrick Eide17 (Jun 24, 2008)

Lucas Garron said:


> I entered, but I'll only do it if they allow me to use *Metallica*



:O :O :O :O


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## masterofthebass (Jun 24, 2008)

boiiwonder

bass=instrument... I know... bad choice in names, but it fits me.


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## Lucas Garron (Jun 24, 2008)

Derrick Eide17 said:


> Lucas Garron said:
> 
> 
> > I entered, but I'll only do it if they allow me to use *Metallica*
> ...


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## blgentry (Jun 24, 2008)

Lucas Garron said:


> I entered, but I'll only do it if they allow me to use Mathematica.
> I've been told I can, then that I can't, so dunno yet...
> 
> I've considered running some of it in POV-Ray, though.



It looks like they allow you to use anything you want and then they use their judgment as to who moves on.

From:
http://code.google.com/codejam/rules.html



> Solving problems using methods other than a programming language
> 
> If you use specific software to solve a problem, specify this in the file. Also, please provide any input scripts you wrote for the software (e.g., mathematical software scripts, Excel spreadsheet).
> 
> ...



So I'd say it's allowed to use Mathematica, but you might not be one of the 500 finalists, based on whether they think your solution using mathematica was more or less "clever" than other entries using other programs, or programming languages.

Brian.


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## masterofthebass (Jun 24, 2008)

Brian, we actually went in the IRC channel for GCJ, and one of the operators there said some like "freely available" for the means of the software, meaning that if someone wanted to run your source, they could do so freely. There's no "official" regulations on it on the website (that we could find) but someone did say that. O well, I'm using python


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## badmephisto (Jun 24, 2008)

I'm using python as well. I imagine many people are. Speaking of which, what IDE do you use for Python? I have trouble picking a good IDE for it. Eclipse is decent I guess, but I cant get it to autocomplete for some reason.

I wonder if anyone is going to use LOLCATS or whitespace or something funny like that


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## masterofthebass (Jun 24, 2008)

I used Komodo originally, but have fallen back to the IDLE when i switched to mac. I didn't really think about using eclipse as an IDE, and I really did like it for Java. I'll have to look into it


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## tim (Jun 24, 2008)

masterofthebass said:


> I used Komodo originally, but have fallen back to the IDLE when i switched to mac. I didn't really think about using eclipse as an IDE, and I really did like it for Java. I'll have to look into it



What about Textmate?


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## Derrick Eide17 (Jun 24, 2008)

Lucas Garron said:


> Derrick Eide17 said:
> 
> 
> > Lucas Garron said:
> ...




HEY you broke the rule! your supposed to still use what that person at least wrote in their previous post! cheater! 

also what, you want me to act like a miserable a**hole or something? :confused:


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## masterofthebass (Jun 25, 2008)

tim said:


> masterofthebass said:
> 
> 
> > I used Komodo originally, but have fallen back to the IDLE when i switched to mac. I didn't really think about using eclipse as an IDE, and I really did like it for Java. I'll have to look into it
> ...




I need debugging hardcore. I know, I'm a horrible programmer, but I like can never write a program without some debugging, even simple ones. For a text editor I'm using smultron though.


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## ExoCorsair (Jun 25, 2008)

I'm too lazy to participate in Code Jam.

All I code in nowadays is Mathematica, anyway.


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## brunson (Jun 25, 2008)

Emacs: Only for the strong.


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## JBCM627 (Jun 26, 2008)

Heh, I might have to try this for kicks. Emacs is ok, but I can't stand how it tabs... I need to hit 'backspace' too often 
I like notepad/wordpad... although coffeecup/dreamweaver which I recently dl'd are growing on me...
@lucas, wanna try something in rubik?


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## badmephisto (Jul 18, 2008)

So who ended up doing it today?
XP, Notepad++, Python here
I totally forgot about it, and then started coding just over hour before it was actually due, all while at work pretending I was coding something completely different  Managed to get 2/3, except the last one.

Question A (Search engines):
simple greedy approach worked for me. Go down the list until you've seen all engines, reset, count the number of times this happened

Question B (Train times):
I made a queue of all events, maintained number of trains at each station, starting from 0. (so i got negative number of trains at stations as they leave, but increase number when they come). Then take min of all number of trains at a station for each station and return absolute value of that.
I mean this one was pretty easy too

Question C (fly swatter):
I only had 10 minutes to look into this one, and it was pretty tough so i didnt get it. But i may have an idea. Basically i'd look only into 1/8th of the circle for symmetry reasons, and assume everything kills the fly, and then integrate all safe areas, and in the end divide. The integration could have been a pain in the ass though, especially in Python. stupid irregular recto-circular shapes 



EDIT: link to questions:
http://code.google.com/codejam/contest/dashboard?c=agdjb2RlamFtcg8LEghjb250ZXN0cxjqOQw


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## pjk (Jul 18, 2008)

I totally missed it. I got the reminder, and wanted to start working on it, but something started to come up each time I wanted to work on them. I wanted to get into it more. Oh well, there will be more to come.

You can find solutions next to the competitors times here (have to check the solution download box).


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## cmv0116 (Jul 18, 2008)

hmm yea same here. I went to work on it and started the first problem, but then I never had time to finish it.


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## masterofthebass (Jul 18, 2008)

I looked at it, and was like "it's 1 AM and these actually need some thinking involved. I'll think I'll just stop"


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## mrCage (Jul 18, 2008)

masterofthebass said:


> I used Komodo originally, but have fallen back to the IDLE when i switched to mac. I didn't really think about using eclipse as an IDE, and I really did like it for Java. I'll have to look into it


 
I like the concept of eclipse, but i actually dislike the fact that the ide is java. Makes it too slow for my taste. Then again they seem to have upped java performance in Vista. But i don't like vista either ...

Delphi (and later incarnations) has the best IDE ever IMHO 

- Per


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## badmephisto (Jul 18, 2008)

great it looks like you guys all bailed. pfft


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## ExoCorsair (Jul 18, 2008)

I remembered it about four hours in, and did problem A. I knew I was going to qualify so I pretty much stopped after that.


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