here is a solution.. Disable comments and Make your problem statements clearer.. That way no one would require any kind of help form others via Comments..

here is a solution.. Disable comments and Make your problem statements clearer.. That way no one would require any kind of help form others via Comments..

also please do not keep your “TIME CONSTRAINTS” such that use of cin/scanf or “self-defined” i/o functions (using buffers) creates a difference in the result.. (TLE/AC)..And I believe the ques should be such that.. if the algo and its implementation is right the solution should be accepted.. It has happened with me in previous contest that my algo and implementations were right. but I was getting TLE.. And i thought there must be a much better algorithm.. BUT when the corrects solutions were made public. my algo and implementation were very much similar to the accepted ones.. though i was getting TLE.. and this is a very sorry figure the participants get about CodeChef..

also please do not keep your “TIME CONSTRAINTS” such that use of cin/scanf or “self-defined” i/o functions (using buffers) creates a difference in the result.. (TLE/AC)..
And I believe the ques should be such that.. if the algo and its implementation is right the solution should be accepted..
It has happened with me in previous contest that my algo and implementations were right. but I was getting TLE.. And i thought there must be a much better algorithm.. BUT when the corrects solutions were made public. my algo and implementation were very much similar to the accepted ones.. though i was getting TLE.. and this is a very sorry figure the participants get about CodeChef..

Disabling comments don't help, they could just post in any public forum and reveal answers. Its disappointing how Stefan (who seems rather good for the number of problems I saw him solve – I remember seeing him on 4 some days back) doesn't like the concept of Codechef. Perhaps his problem solving skills suggest one of two things:a) He's among the very elite of programmers and probably findable on Topcoderb) There's been a hack (can the admins confirm how likely/unlikely that is?)Lets hope we can find some better solutions to this.

Disabling comments don't help, they could just post in any public forum and reveal answers. Its disappointing how Stefan (who seems rather good for the number of problems I saw him solve – I remember seeing him on 4 some days back) doesn't like the concept of Codechef. Perhaps his problem solving skills suggest one of two things:

a) He's among the very elite of programmers and probably findable on Topcoder
b) There's been a hack (can the admins confirm how likely/unlikely that is?)

Lets hope we can find some better solutions to this.

If people use public forums to reveal their answers let them.. atleast Codechef should take all precautions not let them “reveal” their solutions on their website..The point in having a comments section is to discuss problem there.. and such problem discussions has started becoming a “relative” term.. 1) some ask for clarification in ques.. and u get a reply saying “sorry can not give anymore clarification.. it will be unjust to those who have already submitted the solution”2) some ask.. for explanation in sample test case.. and u get a reply “that is against the rule..” .. and i have seen a lot of people do not understand codechef's problems… 3) some ask for output of a test case.. u again get the same reply “such discussions NOT ALLOWED… admin please ban this guy.. please ban that guy.. blah blah.. blah.”.. (esp Stephen Merriman).. look at the no of comments people post.. it easily exceed 100+.. what does this show.. obviously people either do not understand codechefs's language… or they use the liberty given to them to discuss about the problem.. and thats what they do.. “DISCUSS”..I wonder how/why people do not cheat in contests like TopCoder / Codeforces … mayb because they do not give the participant the liberty to “discuss” about the problem..also am not sure people like the format of coding contest used in codechef.. mayb 10-15 days of coding is just too much… and it is not like any other “marathon matches”personally i think the contest duration should be of 2-3 days (with the type of problems codechef has been currently giving).. or mayb 1 day (with a bit easier set of problems)..

If people use public forums to reveal their answers let them.. atleast Codechef should take all precautions not let them “reveal” their solutions on their website..
The point in having a comments section is to discuss problem there.. and such problem discussions has started becoming a “relative” term..

1) some ask for clarification in ques.. and u get a reply saying “sorry can not give anymore clarification.. it will be unjust to those who have already submitted the solution”

2) some ask.. for explanation in sample test case.. and u get a reply “that is against the rule..” .. and i have seen a lot of people do not understand codechef's problems…

3) some ask for output of a test case.. u again get the same reply “such discussions NOT ALLOWED… admin please ban this guy.. please ban that guy.. blah blah.. blah.”.. (esp Stephen Merriman)..

look at the no of comments people post.. it easily exceed 100+.. what does this show.. obviously people either do not understand codechefs's language… or they use the liberty given to them to discuss about the problem.. and thats what they do.. “DISCUSS”..
I wonder how/why people do not cheat in contests like TopCoder / Codeforces … mayb because they do not give the participant the liberty to “discuss” about the problem..
also am not sure people like the format of coding contest used in codechef.. mayb 10-15 days of coding is just too much… and it is not like any other “marathon matches”
personally i think the contest duration should be of 2-3 days (with the type of problems codechef has been currently giving).. or mayb 1 day (with a bit easier set of problems)..

longer contests gives more time for such incidents to take place..

longer contests gives more time for such incidents to take place..

I disagree (and it's off topic, besides). The fast I/O issue is right there in the FAQ:Why do I get a Time Limit Exceeded?…The second most common cause of TLE is that your method of reading input and writing output is too slow. In Java, do not use a Scanner; use a BufferedReader instead. In C++, do not use cin/cout – use scanf and printf instead.To see if your method of reading input is fast enough, try solving the Enormous Input Test problem.Besides, if the time limit were increased such that naive methods of I/O would pass, that would mean that someone using fast I/O could implement a terribly slow main algorithm and still pass. On the other hand, it does seem a bit unfair to newcomers (and not everyone reads the FAQ). The Enormous Input Test problem does state: “The purpose of this problem is to verify whether the method you are using to read input data is sufficiently fast to handle problems branded with the enormous Input/Output warning”, however such a warning is rarely seen on problems that require fast I/O.

I disagree (and it's off topic, besides). The fast I/O issue is right there in the FAQ:

Why do I get a Time Limit Exceeded?
…
The second most common cause of TLE is that your method of reading input and writing output is too slow. In Java, do not use a Scanner; use a BufferedReader instead. In C++, do not use cin/cout – use scanf and printf instead.
To see if your method of reading input is fast enough, try solving the Enormous Input Test problem.

Besides, if the time limit were increased such that naive methods of I/O would pass, that would mean that someone using fast I/O could implement a terribly slow main algorithm and still pass. On the other hand, it does seem a bit unfair to newcomers (and not everyone reads the FAQ). The Enormous Input Test problem does state: “The purpose of this problem is to verify whether the method you are using to read input data is sufficiently fast to handle problems branded with the enormous Input/Output warning”, however such a warning is rarely seen on problems that require fast I/O.

Long contests, as you have correctly pointed out, reduce the chances of such incidents but they have their uses – mostly for people who cannot afford to spend 6-7 hours at a stretch. Secondly, while comments on a problem may be disabled, I think there is a need for a forum where people can post doubts – its just the abuse which has to be checked. There is one way- though tedious, perhaps useful. I know this footballing website uses it, they read the comments before they are officially posted. And spam is not posted. While this might entail a delay in posting, it could (at least temporarily) take care of both spammers such as Stefan and people who ask things like “My code is giving WA despite everything running fine on my machine” – there must be something more concrete than that in the posts. I believe Stephen is merely annoyed at the number of the posts of that kind despite so much given in the FAQ.

Long contests, as you have correctly pointed out, reduce the chances of such incidents but they have their uses – mostly for people who cannot afford to spend 6-7 hours at a stretch. Secondly, while comments on a problem may be disabled, I think there is a need for a forum where people can post doubts – its just the abuse which has to be checked. There is one way- though tedious, perhaps useful. I know this footballing website uses it, they read the comments before they are officially posted. And spam is not posted. While this might entail a delay in posting, it could (at least temporarily) take care of both spammers such as Stefan and people who ask things like “My code is giving WA despite everything running fine on my machine” – there must be something more concrete than that in the posts. I believe Stephen is merely annoyed at the number of the posts of that kind despite so much given in the FAQ.

other than codechef can you tell me any other programming contest which has such time constraints.. take for example GCJ.. only those with proper algo could get their solutions accepted.. in some questions of codechef even scanf/printf seems to be slow.. and then you require.. the use of buffers.. if it is so then wont it be better that codechef gives out a sample function which can be used to by “beginners” so that they do not face such problems.. and get their solutions accepted..

other than codechef can you tell me any other programming contest which has such time constraints.. take for example GCJ.. only those with proper algo could get their solutions accepted..
in some questions of codechef even scanf/printf seems to be slow.. and then you require.. the use of buffers..
if it is so then wont it be better that codechef gives out a sample function which can be used to by “beginners” so that they do not face such problems.. and get their solutions accepted..

delaying the posting of comments one gud solution.. but then it could be frustrating in genuine cases.. one will have to wait hours for a reply..but why not let the discussion take place after the contest gets over..?

delaying the posting of comments one gud solution.. but then it could be frustrating in genuine cases.. one will have to wait hours for a reply..
but why not let the discussion take place after the contest gets over..?

sorry for off-the-topic discussion.. but i just want to put forward this problem of mine which i always had with codechef..

sorry for off-the-topic discussion.. but i just want to put forward this problem of mine which i always had with codechef..

@ Pratyush : Can you specifically point out any problem on codechef which compulsorily needs the use of i/o faster than printf/scanf ? I guess when you have a sub optimal algorithm, such optimizations are the easiest to think of, and in case these i/o optimizations do work, people tend to think that the problem needed really fast i/o in order to get accepted.

@ Pratyush : Can you specifically point out any problem on codechef which compulsorily needs the use of i/o faster than printf/scanf ? I guess when you have a sub optimal algorithm, such optimizations are the easiest to think of, and in case these i/o optimizations do work, people tend to think that the problem needed really fast i/o in order to get accepted.

Regarding your three numbered points:1) and 2) – where exactly have you seen this happen? Request for clarifying a problem are exactly the point of comments. If someone comments saying “I don't understand the question”, then I always respond with “Which part don't you understand?”, because that comment by itself is completely pointless. I would never reply saying that is against the rules, unless the commenter does something like completely rephrasing the whole problem in a new and simplified way that is a key step towards solving it.The majority of the time someone so-called “clarification requests” are things like 'can x be in lowercase' when the problem statement clearly says X. That just shows the commenter has not bothered to read the problem statement properly, but will still not be told his comment is 'against the rules'.3) Again, if there is some part of the question that you don't understand; describe what you don't understand and you will get an answer. Don't ask for more output, since that is completely unfair on people who have already solved the problem.

Regarding your three numbered points:

1) and 2) – where exactly have you seen this happen? Request for clarifying a problem are exactly the point of comments. If someone comments saying “I don't understand the question”, then I always respond with “Which part don't you understand?”, because that comment by itself is completely pointless. I would never reply saying that is against the rules, unless the commenter does something like completely rephrasing the whole problem in a new and simplified way that is a key step towards solving it.

The majority of the time someone so-called “clarification requests” are things like 'can x be in lowercase' when the problem statement clearly says X. That just shows the commenter has not bothered to read the problem statement properly, but will still not be told his comment is 'against the rules'.

3) Again, if there is some part of the question that you don't understand; describe what you don't understand and you will get an answer. Don't ask for more output, since that is completely unfair on people who have already solved the problem.

Also, I have never asked for anyone to be banned, and I don't recall seeing anyone else do so either, so I'm not sure where you got that from.I try to respond to virtually all reasonable clarification requests in as helpful a way as possible; if you have suggestions as to how I could do this in a better way without disadvantaging other people please let me know. I'm only doing it to help

Also, I have never asked for anyone to be banned, and I don't recall seeing anyone else do so either, so I'm not sure where you got that from.

I try to respond to virtually all reasonable clarification requests in as helpful a way as possible; if you have suggestions as to how I could do this in a better way without disadvantaging other people please let me know. I'm only doing it to help

It's sad that it's happening here but I think as already pointed out by some of the regular codecheffer in previous month blog that the best way is to remove prize money from longer duration monthly contest.People who are serious and wants to learn will continue competing here and it's the best reply to stefan.

To be honest, I don't really have a clue how to prevent this idiot from ruining the contest for everyone. I can't really see prize money lasting much longer, though.(Posting a link to his facebook profile where the solutions are was probably not the best idea, though )

To be honest, I don't really have a clue how to prevent this idiot from ruining the contest for everyone. I can't really see prize money lasting much longer, though.

(Posting a link to his facebook profile where the solutions are was probably not the best idea, though )

It's sad that it's happening here but I think as already pointed out by some of the regular codecheffer in previous month blog that the best way is to remove prize money from longer duration monthly contest.
People who are serious and wants to learn will continue competing here and it's the best reply to stefan.

What steps do you think CodeChef should take to avoid the trouble being created by this guy? I think they should remove the prize money structure. The money can instead be given to people who can write good editorials, multiple solutions to problems, etc.

What steps do you think CodeChef should take to avoid the trouble being created by this guy? I think they should remove the prize money structure. The money can instead be given to people who can write good editorials, multiple solutions to problems, etc.

As far as i could think and understand its better to remove the “prize tag” on longer duration challenges..It is the main reason why people tend to cheat (humans cheat ONLY when they are going to get any profit from it)if there are no prize tag why would any one cheat..? 1)to be ahead in the rank list? wat are they going to get from that? they will do it for AT MOST twice or thrice after that they will stop it..and its a commonsense that 'you will always be behind the one whom you copy in any ranking' 2)for psychopathic fun..? no one will get “this” fun if no one is losing anything because of it;; after few attempt they will leave it.. leading to a pure contest..if we think that prizes are going to make people “learn” then its completely wrong..it is just going to attract people with world class programming skill..instead make this month challenges a learning platform(with out any prize tags) and conduct short period contests(say 2to 3 hours) with prize money..this will attract both “learners and challengers”..please go through this and think on that..

As far as i could think and understand its better to remove the “prize tag” on longer duration challenges..
It is the main reason why people tend to cheat (humans cheat ONLY when they are going to get any profit from it)
if there are no prize tag why would any one cheat..?
1)to be ahead in the rank list?
wat are they going to get from that? they will do it for AT MOST twice or thrice after that they will stop it..
and its a commonsense that 'you will always be behind the one whom you copy in any ranking'
2)for psychopathic fun..?
no one will get “this” fun if no one is losing anything because of it;; after few attempt they will leave it..
leading to a pure contest..

if we think that prizes are going to make people “learn” then its completely wrong..
it is just going to attract people with world class programming skill..
instead make this month challenges a learning platform(with out any prize tags) and conduct short period contests(say 2to 3 hours) with prize money..
this will attract both “learners and challengers”..
please go through this and think on that..

@Varun: I think Circle of Towers was the most notorious.

@Varun: I think Circle of Towers was the most notorious.

Sorry, I just hope u didn't take it offensively.. I appreciate all your efforts in helping people out.. I mentioned your name there (just for fun) nothing against you…

Sorry, I just hope u didn't take it offensively.. I appreciate all your efforts in helping people out..
I mentioned your name there (just for fun) nothing against you…

I find it ironic that one of his profile quotes is “Trampling other people’s freedom and community is wrong”, yet that's exactly what he's doing to CodeChef. Maybe I'm being naive by actually attempting to reason with him, but if he truly understood the open source movement he would understand the difference between advocating something, and forcing it upon someone. By doing the latter you give the open source movement a bad name.In my country there's a certain religious group which is most known for going door to door to try to recruit new members. I don't mean to offend anyone who happens to be from that religion (and I'll admit they aren't as in-your-face as they used to be), but for the most part people find their practices incredibly annoying. They all but show up at your door and tell you you're going to hell unless you worship the way they do. So Stefan (if that is your real name) what would you say to a religious fanatic who showed up at your doorstep and demanded that you convert to their religion? I'd say something like:What makes you so high and mighty that you know what's best us? Who knows, you could be right. We don't care. We like things the way they are, right or wrong.And that is what I say to you.

I find it ironic that one of his profile quotes is “Trampling other people’s freedom and community is wrong”, yet that's exactly what he's doing to CodeChef. Maybe I'm being naive by actually attempting to reason with him, but if he truly understood the open source movement he would understand the difference between advocating something, and forcing it upon someone. By doing the latter you give the open source movement a bad name.

In my country there's a certain religious group which is most known for going door to door to try to recruit new members. I don't mean to offend anyone who happens to be from that religion (and I'll admit they aren't as in-your-face as they used to be), but for the most part people find their practices incredibly annoying. They all but show up at your door and tell you you're going to hell unless you worship the way they do. So Stefan (if that is your real name) what would you say to a religious fanatic who showed up at your doorstep and demanded that you convert to their religion? I'd say something like:

What makes you so high and mighty that you know what's best us? Who knows, you could be right. We don't care. We like things the way they are, right or wrong.

And that is what I say to you.

@Varun the “TRIP” was something similar.. some people got is accepted with scanf/printf while some got it accepted with buffers.. even though their Algorithm was same..mayb there was a very slight difference in their implementation..

@Varun the “TRIP” was something similar.. some people got is accepted with scanf/printf while some got it accepted with buffers.. even though their Algorithm was same..mayb there was a very slight difference in their implementation..

If you think only sub-optimal solutions need such optimisations, then don't you think it is unfair that some get those solutions working because of their ability to cook up such faster I/O… and I am sure there are many problems which needed such I/O for the best solutions too as I saw most AC codes to have such modifications

If you think only sub-optimal solutions need such optimisations, then don't you think it is unfair that some get those solutions working because of their ability to cook up such faster I/O… and I am sure there are many problems which needed such I/O for the best solutions too as I saw most AC codes to have such modifications

Well he's obviously not an open source advocate, since that has nothing to do with open source and all to do with cheating and plagiarism. He's just having fun breaking rules.I don't know how to solve the problem.If people are copying source code directly, try to detect that and ban those people. Perhaps ban them after learning their real names for purposes of prize money, to make it hard for them to get paid again.

Well he's obviously not an open source advocate, since that has nothing to do with open source and all to do with cheating and plagiarism. He's just having fun breaking rules.

I don't know how to solve the problem.

If people are copying source code directly, try to detect that and ban those people. Perhaps ban them after learning their real names for purposes of prize money, to make it hard for them to get paid again.

None taken

None taken

That's a good point; payment requires a real name + other details (unless people give names of friends or relatives), so reregistering under a new id wouldn't really help someone prize-wise.Of course, that leaves the issue of narrowing down exactly who is cheating, and making sure there aren't any 'false positives'. Perhaps some automated tool (which tests for things like changing variable names, small changes, etc) would be helpful as a starting point (similar to what the codejam does), still with manual checking as well of course.

That's a good point; payment requires a real name + other details (unless people give names of friends or relatives), so reregistering under a new id wouldn't really help someone prize-wise.

Of course, that leaves the issue of narrowing down exactly who is cheating, and making sure there aren't any 'false positives'. Perhaps some automated tool (which tests for things like changing variable names, small changes, etc) would be helpful as a starting point (similar to what the codejam does), still with manual checking as well of course.

This Stefan has no honor !!I will never cheat and copy codes even if I don't win a single Codechef competition ever.Its a matter of pride. If I copy and escape, others may not come to know but I always will be a cheater in my own eyes. Intolerable!!

This Stefan has no honor !!

I will never cheat and copy codes even if I don't win a single Codechef competition ever.
Its a matter of pride.
If I copy and escape, others may not come to know but I always will be a cheater in my own eyes. Intolerable!!

Yes. Removing the prize money from codechef competitions, or giving prizes to only top 1/2 rankers should solve the problem.

Yes. Removing the prize money from codechef competitions, or giving prizes to only top 1/2 rankers should solve the problem.

Stefan is not an open source advocate at all, his offense is same as providing question papers to the student that too with solution before examinationwell i think Codechef members(who copied solutions) should be honest to their work that will be the good solution of this problem . One thing u should remember that if u think u cant solve a solution than u cant solve it.Better wait for 10-11 days n view the solution of other coders once the contest ends……. even i do the same.copying solutions aint gonna improve ur skills at all…………so either try ur level best to understand and solve the problems on ur own…….or don't participate in competition

Stefan is not an open source advocate at all, his offense is same as providing question papers to the student that too with solution before examination

well i think Codechef members(who copied solutions) should be honest to their work that will be the good solution of this problem . One thing u should remember that if u think u cant solve a solution than u cant solve it.Better wait for 10-11 days n view the solution of other coders once the contest ends……. even i do the same.

copying solutions aint gonna improve ur skills at all…………so either try ur level best to understand and solve the problems on ur own…….or don't participate in competition

a correction if u think u cant solve a problem than u cant solve it

a correction
if u think u cant solve a problem than u cant solve it

I really liked the point that no price money should be there for “long” contest.It should be there only for the shorter (say about 3 hrs) contest.And the more “importance” you give to this guy Stefan, the more he will win. And Stefan if you are reading this, i feel sorry for you mate . You are living in an illusion advocating “Open Source”, what you are doing is just the opposite, may be worse !!!

I really liked the point that no price money should be there for “long” contest.
It should be there only for the shorter (say about 3 hrs) contest.

And the more “importance” you give to this guy Stefan, the more he will win.

And Stefan if you are reading this, i feel sorry for you mate . You are living in an illusion advocating “Open Source”, what you are doing is just the opposite, may be worse !!!

problem statements could be viewed without login i think this really make work easy….so guy doesnt needs a codechef id he can view the problem statement and could upload the solutions any where on the web and send link of that page to codechef user so i think problem statements should be accessible after the successful login

problem statements could be viewed without login
i think this really make work easy….so guy doesnt needs a codechef id he can view the problem statement and could upload the solutions any where on the web and send link of that page to codechef user
so i think problem statements should be accessible after the successful login

As CodeChef team trying to find and expose stefan ….. i dont thing that would be a solution at large. one solution could be ……codeChef can take a telephone Interview of first 20 programmer before awarding them a any title or prize money.

As CodeChef team trying to find and expose stefan ….. i dont thing that would be a solution at large. one solution could be ……

codeChef can take a telephone Interview of first 20 programmer before awarding them a any title or prize money.

agreed… most of the time we contestants dont read the questions properly…

agreed… most of the time we contestants dont read the questions properly…

viewing the problem statement after successful login would ensure that the problem statement was viewed by a registered codechef member………..implementing this policy would result in the existence of record showing which of the members viewed the problem statements .just consider the fact that without this policy the suspect could be any ONE of the millions (even billion) of random net users who have viewed the pageand in presence of this policy suspect is ONE of the hundred (or thousands) CODECHEF members who SURELY have viewed the problem statement.Nailing down defaulters would still be difficult task but would be comparatively easy….as size of suspicious profiles is minimized…………………..holding a TELEPHONE interview is an excellent idea………………………

viewing the problem statement after successful login would ensure that the problem statement was viewed by a registered codechef member………..
implementing this policy would result in the existence of record showing which of the members viewed the problem statements .

just consider the fact that without this policy the suspect could be any ONE of the millions (even billion) of random net users who have viewed the page
and in presence of this policy suspect is ONE of the hundred (or thousands) CODECHEF members who SURELY have viewed the problem statement.
Nailing down defaulters would still be difficult task but would be comparatively easy….as size of suspicious profiles is minimized…………………..

holding a TELEPHONE interview is an excellent idea………………………

Thats actually a very simple solution. All the college level OPCs do that – Codechef could too.

Thats actually a very simple solution. All the college level OPCs do that – Codechef could too.

If someone cheats, then he can learn logics also behind the problem.Even if he doesn't know about implementation. But problem solving on codechef , is about implementation also.Then , how can codechef's admin come to know about his cheating style ?This is not the solution in anyway.I think, the only solution is contest duration should be 2-3 hours only.

If someone cheats, then he can learn logics also behind the problem.
Even if he doesn't know about implementation. But problem solving on codechef , is about implementation also.
Then , how can codechef's admin come to know about his cheating style ?
This is not the solution in anyway.
I think, the only solution is contest duration should be 2-3 hours only.

GCJ started with big prize money initially but then later came down to 100 $ only for 4th-25th rankers & a little more for top 3. I think they realised this before us.

GCJ started with big prize money initially but then later came down to 100 $ only for 4th-25th rankers & a little more for top 3. I think they realised this before us.

i not promote cheating. You say I force open source on everyone. I not do that. I not knock on anyone's door and give code. If people not want it they should not use. You find the bible on the internet. So do they force you to become christian? I create sure that code is there for the person who want it and extract knowledge from it.Open source about having choice. Life made of choice. Some good choice some ungood choice. It is on person heart to make good choice.

i not promote cheating. You say I force open source on everyone. I not do that. I not knock on anyone's door and give code. If people not want it they should not use. You find the bible on the internet. So do they force you to become christian? I create sure that code is there for the person who want it and extract knowledge from it.

Open source about having choice. Life made of choice. Some good choice some ungood choice. It is on person heart to make good choice.

so finally a reply for THE big man..

so finally a reply for THE big man..

Dude!! you are terribly confused. I'll write down in points so you can understand it better.1) On one side you post solutions so that people can cheat and then you say “i not promote cheating”.2) You say -”I not knock on anyone's door and give code”, but posting it publicly on internet nowadays is faster than knocking on a door. It reaches out to thousands of users in no time!3) Ofcourse posting bible on internet does not make you a christian just like posting codechef solutions online doesn't make you an open source champion. Get my point?4) And yes Life is made of choices- the good ones and the bad ones. I am afraid your heart has made the wrong one.You have advocated open source concept in a very wrong way. Wikipedia describes it as -”Open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials”. READ IT CAREFULLY.Codechef competitions are NOT “practices in production and development”, they are a part of COMPETITION (heard that word?). So there is absolutely no need of making their solutions available to everyone for the sake of open source.

Dude!! you are terribly confused. I'll write down in points so you can understand it better.
1) On one side you post solutions so that people can cheat and then you say “i not promote cheating”.
2) You say -”I not knock on anyone's door and give code”, but posting it publicly on internet nowadays is faster than knocking on a door. It reaches out to thousands of users in no time!
3) Ofcourse posting bible on internet does not make you a christian just like posting codechef solutions online doesn't make you an open source champion. Get my point?
4) And yes Life is made of choices- the good ones and the bad ones. I am afraid your heart has made the wrong one.

You have advocated open source concept in a very wrong way. Wikipedia describes it as -”Open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials”. READ IT CAREFULLY.
Codechef competitions are NOT “practices in production and development”, they are a part of COMPETITION (heard that word?). So there is absolutely no need of making their solutions available to everyone for the sake of open source.

This is a very good idea – you only see the problems after logging in, and agreeing to some rules that clearly say something like “don't discuss or share solutions to these problems”. This should make it at least a little easier to fight people who break the rules, or at least discourage them.

This is a very good idea – you only see the problems after logging in, and agreeing to some rules that clearly say something like “don't discuss or share solutions to these problems”. This should make it at least a little easier to fight people who break the rules, or at least discourage them.

I'm not really sure how that would solve anything; anyone who cheats can easily create a new account to view the problems with.

I'm not really sure how that would solve anything; anyone who cheats can easily create a new account to view the problems with.

Seriously Stephen, do you have nothing better to do ? What a waste you are.no one wants you to post, but you dont stop. Most of it is like read the FAQ and all. Do you enjoy trying to be arrogant to newcomers? I personally experienced that. Do you not have a job or a life? Please leave us alone.

Seriously Stephen, do you have nothing better to do ? What a waste you are.no one wants you to post, but you dont stop. Most of it is like read the FAQ and all. Do you enjoy trying to be arrogant to newcomers? I personally experienced that. Do you not have a job or a life? Please leave us alone.

Please Note: Derogatory comments of any kind are not appreciated.

Please Note: Derogatory comments of any kind are not appreciated.

What “us” are you talking about?? I think you are the only one having a problem. We need programmers who are willing to interact, especially with the newcomers.

What “us” are you talking about?? I think you are the only one having a problem. We need programmers who are willing to interact, especially with the newcomers.

true …………mentioned the supporting facts below in reply to pratik's comment…………

true …………
mentioned the supporting facts below in reply to pratik's comment…………

It would at least be clear that the person is cheating. Currently our Stefan never had to agree not to post solutions online, so he's technically not breaking any rules he has agreed to.

It would at least be clear that the person is cheating. Currently our Stefan never had to agree not to post solutions online, so he's technically not breaking any rules he has agreed to.

+1 , i really like your reply..

+1 , i really like your reply..

Congrats to Aswin Akhilesh for winning Codechef once again! The fact that you werent banned last month implies Codechef fully endorses your strategy of copy-pasting solutions.

Congrats to Aswin Akhilesh for winning Codechef once again! The fact that you werent banned last month implies Codechef fully endorses your strategy of copy-pasting solutions.

result havn't been declared yet. I think codechef is still looking for cheaters and it's very likely that he will be banned.

result havn't been declared yet. I think codechef is still looking for cheaters and it's very likely that he will be banned.

i think that time has come that you must move to topcoder or spoj. That's the right place for you.

i think that time has come that you must move to topcoder or spoj. That's the right place for you.

My two cents on this:1) I think as many other users suggested, Codeshef should only those people to view problem statements who are registered users on Codechef. I guessTopcoder also has same format, you need to login to see any problem statement.2) This website is fro learning purpose, If anyone is cheating, its there loss at the end of the day. They learn nothing by doing so. But then there are people who do it for money.And I see only one solution to this problem – “Reduce the time of the contest.” “Event duration should be short so that people don't get time to cheat; again like topcoder make every problem 2 – 2.5 hour contest. In monthly competition, rather than releasing all the problems at one go, make every problem an individual timed contest, or may be club two problems. 10 days time is long enough for anyone to find its solution by cheating. 2 – 2.5 hours format is perfect.”Thanks.

My two cents on this:
1) I think as many other users suggested, Codeshef should only those people to view problem statements who are registered users on Codechef. I guessTopcoder also has same format, you need to login to see any problem statement.
2) This website is fro learning purpose, If anyone is cheating, its there loss at the end of the day. They learn nothing by doing so. But then there are people who do it for money.
And I see only one solution to this problem – “Reduce the time of the contest.”

“Event duration should be short so that people don't get time to cheat; again like topcoder make every problem 2 – 2.5 hour contest.
In monthly competition, rather than releasing all the problems at one go, make every problem an individual timed contest, or may be club two problems. 10 days time is long enough for anyone to find its solution by cheating. 2 – 2.5 hours format is perfect.”
Thanks.

Hi, It is good that at least you gave your opinion. But to simply say, what ever you are doing is wrong.The kind of joy that you feel when you solve difficult problem your self after a lot of fight is indescribable. And you learn a lot from this.

Hi, It is good that at least you gave your opinion. But to simply say, what ever you are doing is wrong.

The kind of joy that you feel when you solve difficult problem your self after a lot of fight is indescribable. And you learn a lot from this.

No 2.5 hours format is not suitable for beginners, coz they won't sufficient get time to try their hands on the problems. Then this contest will only be for the experts, beginners would be left out.The 10 days format is perfect.And about the cheating, if one taking online help for the problem (not for the whole solution, but for the concept to be implemented) is not cheating, so cheating will only be possible if exact source code is available. For that, you could moderate the comments, before making is appear on the page, that would be the most feasible solution in this case.And codechef should not worry about cheating from outside, its just to have the contest here going fairly.

No 2.5 hours format is not suitable for beginners, coz they won't sufficient get time to try their hands on the problems. Then this contest will only be for the experts, beginners would be left out.
The 10 days format is perfect.

And about the cheating, if one taking online help for the problem (not for the whole solution, but for the concept to be implemented) is not cheating, so cheating will only be possible if exact source code is available. For that, you could moderate the comments, before making is appear on the page, that would be the most feasible solution in this case.

And codechef should not worry about cheating from outside, its just to have the contest here going fairly.

@Rahul are you sure that online help only for concept is not cheating.I think you need to read the rules again

@Rahul are you sure that online help only for concept is not cheating.
I think you need to read the rules again

@Tomek he's breaking the rule * Please do not discuss strategy, suggestions or tips in the comments during a live contest.This is posted in every contest.

@Tomek he's breaking the rule
* Please do not discuss strategy, suggestions or tips in the comments during a live contest.
This is posted in every contest.

I like the idea of what Stefan is doing Software is about Open Source, it is about letting other people learn. This is how the community is learning and becoming more skillful.

I like the idea of what Stefan is doing Software is about Open Source, it is about letting other people learn. This is how the community is learning and becoming more skillful.

You get online help for the concept and only implement it? That is clearly cheating. I think thats what many people are doing in this 10 days format. So a 10 days format is very conducive to cheating.

You get online help for the concept and only implement it? That is clearly cheating. I think thats what many people are doing in this 10 days format. So a 10 days format is very conducive to cheating.

It is posted in every contest. But you never *agree* to it in any place. Thats what tomek is trying to say.

It is posted in every contest. But you never *agree* to it in any place. Thats what tomek is trying to say.

Even s smaller format is conducive to cheating. You cant prevent plagiarism in Software. The people who are talking about removing price money are the people who have never won it.

Even s smaller format is conducive to cheating. You cant prevent plagiarism in Software. The people who are talking about removing price money are the people who have never won it.

Codechef – a directi initiative but more importantly it is we 500+ coders' responsibility. If we are adamant and take an oath that whatever happens we won't cheat do hell with people like Stefan, he will be totally inexistent. Let people copy and win and let's not get affected. We are here not for Rs10K or 300$. We are here to enjoy coding and to compete with ourself.

Codechef – a directi initiative but more importantly it is we 500+ coders' responsibility. If we are adamant and take an oath that whatever happens we won't cheat do hell with people like Stefan, he will be totally inexistent. Let people copy and win and let's not get affected. We are here not for Rs10K or 300$. We are here to enjoy coding and to compete with ourself.

nops, there are lot more then you think. Also, it doesn't matter whether people who have won prize money or not because they are part of this community and have every right to say so equally then those who have won prize money.

nops, there are lot more then you think. Also, it doesn't matter whether people who have won prize money or not because they are part of this community and have every right to say so equally then those who have won prize money.

I often read your blog and always find it very interesting. Thought it was about time i let you know…Keep up the great work

I often read your blog and always find it very interesting. Thought it was about time i let you know…Keep up the great work

it clearly shows that u r here to earn money and you are afraid of loosing the prized contests..if its the case ur approach is completely wrong..N “chances of cheating is directly proportional to duration of contest”,,,so shorted contests are better than longer one in this terms..

it clearly shows that u r here to earn money and you are afraid of loosing the prized contests..
if its the case ur approach is completely wrong..
N “chances of cheating is directly proportional to duration of contest”,,,
so shorted contests are better than longer one in this terms..

And if you want a shorter contest, you should go to TopCoder. The whole point and uniqueness of Codechef is the longer contest format; they will never get rid of it or they would lose most of their participants.

And if you want a shorter contest, you should go to TopCoder. The whole point and uniqueness of Codechef is the longer contest format; they will never get rid of it or they would lose most of their participants.

+1 we must never forget what makes codechef unique then other online contest.

+1 we must never forget what makes codechef unique then other online contest.

and codechef isn't alone in fight against stefan. This stefan is big threat to the entire wannabe programmers and big algorithm community.

and codechef isn't alone in fight against stefan. This stefan is big threat to the entire wannabe programmers and big algorithm community.

“Stefan” wouldn't pose a threat to CodeChef if they let him in the server room with a sledgehammer. Talk about wannabes. In case you haven't noticed, there was a lot less cheating this month. The number of successful submissions alone tells you that. So a bunch of idiots cheated the first time, and then saw the light when it was shone in their eyes. This time a few people who must have been trying to be funny copy/pasted solutions, and that's pretty much it.

“Stefan” wouldn't pose a threat to CodeChef if they let him in the server room with a sledgehammer. Talk about wannabes. In case you haven't noticed, there was a lot less cheating this month. The number of successful submissions alone tells you that. So a bunch of idiots cheated the first time, and then saw the light when it was shone in their eyes. This time a few people who must have been trying to be funny copy/pasted solutions, and that's pretty much it.

Yes, I am here for money and I did make a few bucks in INR but my Algorithms are much better than what Stefan write's. I am not into cheating and I dont advocate that either. Just FYI all Software aint about Algorithms it is also about naive things like Software Engineering which you cant learn at Codechef.

Yes, I am here for money and I did make a few bucks in INR but my Algorithms are much better than what Stefan write's. I am not into cheating and I dont advocate that either. Just FYI all Software aint about Algorithms it is also about naive things like Software Engineering which you cant learn at Codechef.