The Nineteenth Byte

TimWolla

1:16 AM

@Doorknob Nice race between you and PHP

Doorknob

1:38 AM

Indeed

He passed me again >:O

TimWolla

PHP is best!

No, actually it is not. But I earn my money using PHP.

luser droog

4:21 AM

0

A: RPN calculator without pointers

2 uses of pointers are collected at the top, and are permitted by the rules as these are a necessary part of I/O at the level of file descriptors. This code implements the RPN calculator as a Semi-Thue system that works like a queue. It uses iteration and a tempfile to evaluate the formula left-...

@vzn I sunk a lot of hours into this 0-vote answer. :(

0

A: RPN calculator without pointers

2 uses of pointers are collected at the top, and are permitted by the rules as these are a necessary part of I/O at the level of file descriptors. This code implements the RPN calculator as a Semi-Thue system that works like a queue. It uses iteration and a tempfile to evaluate the formula left-...

post ... timeout ... retry ... timeout ... retry ... timeout. Oh, and then it's there twice, but too old to delete. Makes me look like I can't do "internet".

undergroundmonorail

5:12 AM

That's okay, the internet is for losers.

luser droog

Yay! pity vote!

Hmm. Maybe that answer just needs more pictures of kittens.

luser droog

5:40 AM

I've been trying to build-up the J incunabulum enough to execute the binary function answers. It's slow-going, but fun.

github.com/luser-dr00g/inca/blob/master/inca.c

array programming also appears to have eerie similarities to Incan quipus.

I'm not entirely sure what to add next. multi-digit numbers, or the reduction operator.

luser droog

6:19 AM

numbers. it was easier. Now, having found a dyadic function in monadic position, if next char is '/' : reduction, then ... do it, somehow. the implementation of the 'reduce' function will need to accept a function pointer to the component dyadic function, right? I don't see any other way.

Peter Taylor

9:56 AM

@xfix Even more worrying is that 3 people have voted to reopen it. I think last December was our Eternal September and we'll never recover a culture of questions which have clear specifications and objective winning criteria.

mniip

10:26 AM

/me has a feeling that some people just go over the reopen queue and *reopen* *reopen* *reopen*

2

Doorknob

12:11 PM

GolfEye - a chatbot

Will monitor codegolf.SE. meta.codegolf.stackexchange.com/q/1177

hooray - finally home! bot up again

@mniip you realize you can spy on people's review histories? :D

mniip

12:46 PM

Yeah I can, but

Wander Nauta

5:35 PM

Hey all, is there a way to save draft questions inside SE?

As in, save it without publishing it so I can continue working on it later?

mniip

6:01 PM

^A^C open your fave text editor ^V

Wander Nauta

@mniip Yeah, that's my current setup :) I found a text editor that does Markdown previews in the mean time, so that works pretty well.

mniip

Markdown previews. Pfeh.

Gareth

8:23 PM

@PeterTaylor Disallowing all future [popularity-contest] questions and deleting all [code-trolling] questions and that tag would be a step in the right direction, I think.

TheDoctor

9:29 PM

@gareth - don't delete past questions. As for popularity contests, you may have to find some alternate challenges.

Doorknob

9:53 PM

@Gareth I'd say historical lock on the current code trollings (nuking the mediocre/bad ones) and ban the tag, but you can't kill pop-contest without half the site quitting.

TheDoctor

Yep

Gareth

@TheDoctor Popularity-contests aren't challenges most of the time. Print 42, Return 1, draw something that looks like something.

@Doorknob Which half? ;-)

Doorknob

@Gareth Hah, maybe that's the half that we could possibly benefit from leaving ;) Sarcasm aside, sometimes people like a little non-challenge in their life - it's a site for code fun, and not everything has to be a challenge. If everything was too difficult, it perhaps wouldn't be as fun.

@PeterTaylor I am doing the absolute best I can - see my 5 latest questions ;)

undergroundmonorail

It's unfortunate because I am 100% pro-popularity contest - in theory. In practice most of them are garbage and get upvoted anyway but I feel like the question type itself could really benefit the site.

Gareth

@Doorknob Yeah, I was just joking about wanting people to leave (in case anyone thinks otherwise). I've no objection to less challenging stuff along with the harder questions, but I do object to things which are no challenge whatsoever that come with the instruction 'Be creative!'. I pick on 'Print 42' just because it's a good example of a bad example that's come in the recent pickup of traffic, but that 'Return 1' is an older example of the same thing.

Doorknob

10:05 PM

@Gareth I absolutely agree with the statement I do object to things which are no challenge whatsoever that come with the instruction 'Be creative!'. And then they get into the hot questions list because they're so easy to answer with low quality garbage, but the algorithm doesn't care, and shoots it to the top of the list where it is then bombarded with upvotes, and the vicious cycle continues burying the actually good challenges in trash. </rant>

Recent example: Your challenge is to make a program. GO!

Gareth

I wonder if somehow flooding the most active questions with well-specified questions of all tags would be a way to lead by example for some of the newer users who have only ever seen the front page flooded with poor questions.

undergroundmonorail

The trouble is that good questions are hard to come up with so newer users probably still won't do that.

Doorknob

I've been trying to do my part

Gareth

Of course, then we have to come some kind of agreement on what a well-specified question is.

Doorknob

All of my 13 previous challenges have been golf or challenge

(Aside from that "worst website" one which I fully admit to be terrible ;) )

Gareth

10:14 PM

I know, but one user can't flood the front page on their own.

Doorknob

That's true. But then nobody wants to contribute at all. Kind of like the CV queue on SO.

Gareth

@undergroundmonorail This is probably the crux of the problem.

Good questions take time and a bit of effort. Poor questions can be thrown together in a couple of minutes. :-(

Doorknob

Solution: close poor questions AS FAST AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE

The previously mentioned "Make any program" one took ages to be closed

TimWolla

@Doorknob Doesn't work. There are people like those who use GTB that reopen them :(

Doorknob

This has got to be one of the best questions to date ;) — Timtech yesterday

^ And it even got AN UPVOTE!!!! >:O

Gareth

10:17 PM

Yeah, the reactionary re-openers are something of a problem.

TimWolla

That's what I mean.

Gareth

When a question gets to -3 the delete option becomes available. But that's only useful if the question is beyond rescue and it can be downvoted, closed and deleted before the upvotes start to flood in.

TimWolla

And we need 20kers for that.

(or 5k as currently)

Doorknob

(or a mod)

TimWolla

CHRIS! :D

Doorknob

10:20 PM

Perhaps flag these beyond-repair questions as VLQ?

Protection could help too, but nobody (including me) ever remembers it exists :P I just protected this in case it gets reopened (oh the horror!).

TimWolla

@Doorknob 3 reopen votes are there :)

Doorknob

I know

TheDoctor

11:06 PM

Flagged for mod attention

TimWolla

All nitpicky people. Taking all the fun out of everything.

TheDoctor

Good boy, Doorknob

6

A: Project Showcase '14

(fake) Linux on Arduino I recently acquired a small composite LCD screen, which I quickly began playing with using the Arduino TVout library. What came next? Linux! Description While playing around with my TV screen and the TVout library, I discovered there is a premodern terminal handler for ...

vzn

hope to hear any feedback on this. its intended as a high quality challenge

0

Q: boolean circuits/expression induction via visualization

this is a proposal, hopefully first in a series (depending on reception), that will explore boolean circuits, empirical research, visualization, reverse engineering, and advanced (T)CS, and possibly even have some real research value. it is different that other proposals on this site in distinct ...

TimWolla

Is there even an actual challenge in there or just some general ideas?

vzn

sigh did you read it? yes its very specific.

in the highlighted sections.

its a huge challenge :)

TimWolla

11:21 PM

Yeah, obviously I did read it.

TheDoctor

Seems kinda broad

vzn

its very specific with the single "divide by 3" circuit.

TimWolla

@TheDoctor This.

TheDoctor

And it would be nice to add some capital letters

TimWolla

@vzn It is underspecified. There is no clear winning condition.

vzn

11:23 PM

← anticapitalist :p

the winning condition is whoever shows how to derive the formula based on looking only at the circuits.

it would require some graphical analysis.

TheDoctor

More of a proposal than a question. Interesting idea, though

vzn

its a proposal and a question.

TheDoctor

^ somewhat tough

TimWolla

@TheDoctor Yeah, that's my opinion too.

vzn

think it might not be as tough as it looks.

for the divide-by-3 question alone.

it was the simplest case of the general problem could think of.

thx for the positive adj :)

TheDoctor

11:25 PM

Maybe rewrite, run through the sandbox, and have a go ^^

vzn

not always easy to earn those in chat & elsewhere on se :\

what is the sandbox

TimWolla

3

Q: Proposed Question Sandbox - Mark XI

Too long, didn't read: Use this sandbox to work the problems out of your question before posting it on the main site. People will comment if they seem problems, and upvote it when they think it is ready; you should wait for at least 3 upvotes or until three people say it is ready before posting ...

discussion featured sandbox

TheDoctor

A place to test out questions ideas and get feedback

TimWolla

It is not like it isn't linked in the community bulletin.

vzn

read the "what to ask" & "what not to ask" on main pg

is the community bulletin linked there?

TheDoctor

11:27 PM

Kind of general

vzn

oh see what you are talking about re community bulletin ok

TheDoctor

Check out the commit messages in this:

github.com/red-green/fakeLinuxonArduino/commits/master

Doorknob

@vzn Looking...

vzn

? are you talking to me re arduino?

TheDoctor

So @vzn, i will not downvote your question, but i think it needs some refining

Doorknob

11:28 PM

no, the challenge

TheDoctor

?

vzn

admit there is extra stuff in the msg that could be pared down, but feel its very specific in highlighted sections

TimWolla

Args. Misclick in Review.

vzn

thx for not downvoting

Doorknob

VTC unclear, sorry, because I have no idea what the challenge is. Specification? Input? Output? Test cases? There's nothing

Also, could you at least use basic punctuation and grammar? Currently it's extremely hard to read.

vzn

11:30 PM

??? input: circuits that compute whether n is divisible by 3.

for n, n+1, n+2, ...

challenge: process the circuits. visually. reverse engineer them.

Doorknob

What is a "circuit"

vzn

construct the general algorithm.

Doorknob

Define "process"

Define "reverse engineer"

etc. etc. etc. Anyway, I have to go now; I can talk more later

vzn

DK you got 11k on Programming Puzzles & Code Golf not knowing what a circuit is? eeks :\

think ALU etc

Doorknob

"Circuit" is a very general term

TimWolla

11:32 PM

@vzn You have to define that in your challenge. Currently almost anything would be a valid program.

vzn

Arithmetic logic unit

In digital electronics, an arithmetic and logic unit (ALU) is a digital circuit that performs integer arithmetic and logical operations. The ALU is a fundamental building block of the central processing unit of a computer, and even the simplest microprocessors contain one for purposes such as maintaining timers. The processors found inside modern CPUs and graphics processing units (GPUs) accommodate very powerful and very complex ALUs; a single component may contain a number of ALUs. Mathematician John von Neumann proposed the ALU concept in 1945, when he wrote a report on the foundations ...

Doorknob

I'm in a car now chatting from mobile :-P

TheDoctor

You don't have to know anything about digital circuit design to code

vzn

agree it can be misinterpreted

TheDoctor

@Doorknob be careful

1 hour ago, by Gareth

Yeah, the reactionary re-openers are something of a problem.

vzn

11:33 PM