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July programming challenge

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Eric Rechlin

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Jun 18, 2010, 12:15:26 AM6/18/10
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Hi everybody,

I've been kind of disappointed with how few new programs have been developed
lately.

In hope of encouraging new development, I have decided to challenge you this
next month. Write a new program (not an update of an existing program, but
a new one entirely) for one of the models featured on my site, and submit it
during the month of July here:

http://www.hpcalc.org/contribute.php

Please be sure to include your mailing address in the comments when you
submit the program if you would like to compete. In August I will pick the
winner and ship them a brand new HP 20b calculator and perhaps some other
goodies as well.

I will be the sole decider of the winner, but anyone is allowed to attempt
to persuade me by sending me an email with your reasoning. You can submit
as many programs as you want for this challenge and update them as many
times as you want, but for this challenge I will only count programs that
were never submitted prior to July. I am willing to ship the calculator
anywhere in the world except countries currently embargoed by the US.

Regards,

Eric Rechlin

Virgil

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Jun 18, 2010, 1:09:15 AM6/18/10
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In article <880a71...@mid.individual.net>,
"Eric Rechlin" <er...@hpcalc.org> wrote:

What about new libraries?

Eric Rechlin

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Jun 18, 2010, 9:32:18 AM6/18/10
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"Virgil" <Vir...@home.esc> wrote:
> What about new libraries?

Sure, you can package them as libraries, directories, variables, aplets, or
however you want.

Regards,

Eric Rechlin

Han

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Jun 18, 2010, 11:05:25 AM6/18/10
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This sounds like a great way to get people interested in programming.
The only missing thing is ... well... what application do users want
to see? It might help give those interested in the contest some place
to start.

h_p_48

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Jun 18, 2010, 2:42:12 PM6/18/10
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>
> This sounds like a great way to get people interested in programming.
> The only missing thing is ... well... what application do users want
> to see? It might help give those interested in the contest some place
> to start.


Can I make a suggestion?
Would it be possible to write a program that can find triangle
patterns in a dataset?
Example: http://www.forex-trading-gurus.com/assets/images/ascending-and-descending-triangle.gif

Eric Rechlin

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Jun 18, 2010, 3:47:01 PM6/18/10
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"Han" <handuo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> This sounds like a great way to get people interested in programming.
> The only missing thing is ... well... what application do users want
> to see? It might help give those interested in the contest some place
> to start.

That's totally open-ended.

I am somewhat biased towards originality. An application that mostly
replicates functionality of an existing application is not as desirable as
something that does something new. A game that is a clone of another game
(even if it's well done) will likewise not be as interesting. (And I'm
biased against games, so unless it's really good, a game probably isn't
going to win.)

Good documentation will also go a long way towards making me like it. If I
can't figure out how to use it or what it's good for, that would hurt.

To be honest, based on how little new stuff has come out in, say, the last 6
months (maybe 5 or 6 programs would have been worth considering, one of
which you wrote), I'm not expecting to even see more than a couple serious
contenders. Hopefully I will be wrong and can justify making this more than
a one-time thing.

Regards,

Eric Rechlin

Dave Hayden

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Jun 18, 2010, 6:50:16 PM6/18/10
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On Jun 18, 12:15 am, "Eric Rechlin" <e...@hpcalc.org> wrote:

> In hope of encouraging new development, I have decided to challenge you this
> next month.  Write a new program (not an update of an existing program, but
> a new one entirely) for one of the models featured on my site, and submit it
> during the month of July here:

What a great idea, Eric!

Let me point out to the non-programmers that this is also a chance to
get Your Favorite Program written for free. If you have an idea for a
program, post it here and maybe someone will write it. Thanks to
H_P_48 for posting one idea already.

Dave


Gustavo Portales

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Jun 20, 2010, 4:49:58 PM6/20/10
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On Jun 17, 11:15 pm, "Eric Rechlin" <e...@hpcalc.org> wrote:

great idea... but just a winner?, I can donate a 2GB MP3 player to 2nd
place.
http://img.focalprice.com/lpic/200904/EM003R-1.JPG

If you accept, I can send free this device worldwide.
The winners are selected only by Eric Rechlin.

I get a windows mobile recently, and the calculator is "history" :-
( but the prices are great idea to foment new developers/programs.
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i900_omnia-2422.php

- Gaak -

Eric Rechlin

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Jul 26, 2010, 9:55:04 AM7/26/10
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Just a reminder to everybody, there are only 5 days left to enter the
challenge.

Only two entries have been received so far, so it's still easy to win. Even
if the goods are odd, the odds are good!

Regards,

Eric Rechlin

"Eric Rechlin" <er...@hpcalc.org> wrote in message
news:880a71...@mid.individual.net...

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