Re: TPR0 Final Results

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From:

Mark Rogaski

Date:

February 16, 2002 10:01

Subject:

Re: TPR0 Final Results

Message ID:

20020216175828.GA11340@jabberwock.org

An entity claiming to be Ton Hospel (fun_with_perl@ton.iguana.be) wrote:
: 
: In fact i also would like the module rule to remain. The whole idea of
: perl5 was that the module functions get on roughly equal footing with the
: normal functions. To me, they *are* part of the core, and indeed strtol is
: not very different from unpack except that you need an extra "use POSIX"
: (long in golf) to be able to use it.

I agree with Ton, I see no problem with the admission of entries that use
core modules.  I also agree with Andrew that Spiff's solution [1] set
itself apart in that it was a minimal encoding of the actual algorithm.
But encoding the actual algorithm or calls to Perl's "built-in" facilities
that implement the algorithm are two separate paths that I think are both
well within the spirit of the game.  

I'm reminded of the example that Edward Tenner gives in "Why Things Bite
Back".  He compares the relative success of real "hit the ball with a
crooked stick" golf with the decline of men's tennis.  The difference, he
concludes, is that the USPGA avoided overly precise regulations; thus
equipment that was technically acceptable but violated the spirit and
intent of the game was avoided.  As always, lawyers will kill anything good.

I enjoyed the fact that that strtol was used by the top entries, I
was unaware of the radix argument myself.  And I'd like to thank the folks
who organized and conducted the game on short notice.  Dave, Jerome, and
anyone else involved whose name wasn't on the updates performed much magic
of their own; outstanding considering that about two weeks ago there was no
structure whatsoever.  I had a blast, and I'm training for the next round
by optimizing the character strings that folks use to indicate omitted 
expletives on other lists.

Mark

[1] Which I would have matched had I replaced the split ... doh!

-- 
[]                    | There would be no greater joy than to see a beautiful
[] Mark 'Doc' Rogaski | park that our children and adults can go to and learn
[] wendigo@pobox.com  | about the oil and gas industry.  -- Tony Sanchez,
[]                    | Texas Parks and Wildlife commisioner and oilman

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