
CSE 392 – Programming Challenges (2012) - kercker
http://www3.cs.stonybrook.edu/~skiena/392/
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One of the things I like about contests like ICPC, IPSC, etc. is that there is
a specific description of the problem and example input and output.

When we read a forum like HN or a repository like Github, people commonly post
about software solutions or challenges they are facing[1] without providing a
sample problem and input/output examples.

Further, it has been common for many years now to describe software, startups
and established web companies in terms of what it "is" or what they "are"
instead of what it or they actually _do_.

Consider the common "web 2.0" website for company x where the inquisitive
visitor spends an excessive quantity of time scanning page after page of
boilerplate marketing gibberish trying to determine exactly what x company
does.

Is it possible to assess any item of software or any software-based startup
without seeing _example input and output_?

These contests demonstrate how I would like to see _all_ software and the
problems it solves to be described. These contests are a model for how I would
like to see software described on the internet and www.

1\. It is common to see heated arguments in forums on the merits of a
particular software solution _without ever describing providing a specific
example of the problem_. There is also the common case where individuals state
that solution y "sucks" because it did not solve their problem. Yet strangely
they _do not provide the specifics of the problem, nor the given input nor the
desired output_. Without a description of the problem, example input and
output, is it possible to assess software? How?

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lalwanivikas
Hmm..only upvotes but no comments yet. Has anyone here taken this course? Was
it good?

Also, I get an error when I go to videos page. Does anyone here have an
updated link to videos?

~~~
romwell
I have graduated before this course existed, but I did take the Data
Structures and Algorithms with Skiena, and trained for the ICPC using his
Programming Challenges book.

Skiena's books and instruction are a delight, and our team went on to ACM ICPC
Finals in Sweden.

I can highly recommend the course and the book it is based on. Note that the
links to online judges appear to be broken. Use [1] and [2] for your practice.

[1] [https://icpcarchive.ecs.baylor.edu/](https://icpcarchive.ecs.baylor.edu/)

[2] [https://uva.onlinejudge.org/](https://uva.onlinejudge.org/)

~~~
amrx101
How taxing was the training? Few guys I knew in school had no life other than
code for ICPC on TopCoder.

~~~
romwell
Once a week-ish practice sessions. We were doing it for fun.

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foobarbecue
Links to programming-challenges.com , which is down, as is the listed backup
site. Is there any point in this without that?

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nafizh
The back up is actually this website:

[https://uva.onlinejudge.org/](https://uva.onlinejudge.org/)

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inverse_pi
Updated link to video lectures
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dkbFf82_b8&list=PL07B3F10B4...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dkbFf82_b8&list=PL07B3F10B48592010)
.

