Questions tagged [answers]
For questions regarding answers posted to challenges. This tag is not for questions about a specific answer, but for answers in general
181
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How do we handle answers that have later become invalid due to external circumstances?
From time to time, answers can be posted to the site which, at the time are valid but later become invalid without any fault of the original answerer. For example, a number of answers to this ...
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2
answers
200
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What is our consensus on languages which do not halt by design?
Current consensus seems to be that programs must terminate by default. This makes sense in general. However, does this bar use of languages which are not designed with a halt state (other than ...
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2
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For lambdas that is, how should we input them into tio.run?
following this meta codegolf stackexchange post, I've stopped using declarations for lambda functions, but one problem this creates is that since you're only inputting the lambda body and not its ...
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0
answers
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Correct flag usage on invalid submissions
Recently, a couple of invalid answers have been flagged as NAA. This is somewhat of a duplicate of this answer on our policy, but I want to mention this because it's important that everyone is using ...
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answer
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Handling old, popular, creative, but non-competitive answers
Take a look at this answer: Produce the number 2014 without any numbers in your source code.
This is the most upvoted answer on our site right now. However, as many have pointed out, by modern ...
- 40.7k
8
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1
answer
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Can Whispers programs ignore a final output line?
This was first asked by Leo in the Whispers chat room:
But I have a general question about Whispers submissions: couldn't we avoid counting the final Output line most of the time? We can consider the ...
- 48.4k
1
vote
1
answer
119
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What to count in assembly?
Yes, I've checked this post (How are bytes counted in assembly), but I'm asking a different question. I'm asking, if I have an .asm file, an ...
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7
votes
1
answer
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What's our policy on "reposting" older answers with newer versions?
On occasion, especially with a couple of specific, inactive users, I'll craft a Jelly answer identical to an existing answer, except for a few byte-saving substitutions that have been added to the ...
- 48.4k
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0
answers
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Are compile-time solutions valid?
I have a couple answers here that work at compile-time and just posted another, and I was wondering if such solutions are allowed. I'm not talking about just proper functions that can run at compile-...
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Should I upvote an answer based on how much it was improved?
Should I hold how much an answer's score increased/decreased (depending on the winning criterion) as an indicator of how good it is and whether or not I should upvote it?
I used to see answers golfed ...
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11
votes
5
answers
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Why are some users so quick to jump on a bandwagon?
I've been lurking on this site long before I made my account, and I've seen many cases where people are downvoted simply because they post an answer in the same language as someone else and it happens ...
- 345
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For fastest-code questions are new compiler optimisations as non-competing allowed?
I looked around and it seems that the language is defined by the compiler not operational semantics. In normal code golf new languages are banned because of the loophole of implementing the answer as ...
12
votes
2
answers
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Acceptable answer for a code golf
The Code Golf stackexchange tour gives a detailed explanation on, how to ask a Code Golf question.
But what about how to answer? I have multiple questions about: How to give an answer?. Neither the ...
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votes
0
answers
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What's a number? [duplicate]
Similar to What's a string?
If a challenge says that the input will be “a number”, what data types are acceptable?
Obviously, types like int and ...
- 6,571
2
votes
2
answers
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views
Can I change the version of the language in my answer (Python 3 to 2), or do I post a new answer?
I wrote a Python 3 answer. I called it Python 3 in the title; however, it works equally well in Python 2. I discovered that I am able to remove several bytes from the answer, but only if I use Python ...
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votes
1
answer
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Adding a link to Try It Online to existing answers
If I find an old answer whose code I verified works using, say, Try It Online, can I edit that answer and add the link?
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votes
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answer
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what did I do wrong and how can I improve
why did they put this challenge on hold?
How could I have made it clearer?
Benjamin has N boxes in his garden with dimension xiyizi each. Because he does not want to let them out and get wet, he ...
4
votes
0
answers
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Scratch 2.0 is no longer considered a "free" language. Does this retroactively make cops-and-robbers cop answers in Scratch 2.0 non-competitive?
As per this question's answers, Scratch 2.0 is no longer considered a "free" language. As per this question's accepted answer, non-free languages are allowed if marked as non-competing.
Scratch 2.0 ...
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votes
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Is a regex answer valid if it gives the reciprocal of the required output? [duplicate]
This answer gives the reciprocal of the required output, rather than the required output itself.
In a simpler challenge this might cut out a significant part of the work, but for this particular ...
5
votes
1
answer
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views
Existence of known score but unknown exact code
Consider the following the challenge:
Write a program that accomplishes X task while maximizing the number of distinct characters in your source code. Removing any set of characters from the ...
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votes
1
answer
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Does linter golf require a specific interpreter to be a valid answer for golf?
If someone answers a code-golf challenge in, for example, JavaScript, and as an additional challenge restricts to only code that is approved by http://www.jslint.com/ that answer is valid if an ...
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votes
1
answer
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Sorting answers [duplicate]
Some popular challenges have many many answers and often a language is used more than once, so :
Is there a way to sort answers so that they appear in the order according to the name of a language OR ...
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9
votes
3
answers
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What should we do when a language cannot answer a given challenge?
Many challenges, mainly restricted-source, are impossible in some languages. Find an Illegal String is a good example—many languages without syntax errors, such as brainfuck (deleted answer), ...
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votes
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answers
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Is it permitted for a submission to terminate merely with probability 1?
The question is in the title. I'm interested in submissions that terminate with probability 1 but have unbounded worst case running times.
This is related to the question Do programs have to ...
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votes
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answer
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views
Post other people's code?
Some people are very good code golfers but for their own reasons do not want to join PPCG. Is it acceptable to post their solutions as answers to challenges?
If at all acceptable, I would personally ...
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votes
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answer
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views
What's the complexity of my answer?
I've never studied any computer science. So I've always passed over restricted-complexity questions, since I had no way of knowing the complexity of my code. Today, I decided to try and see whether I ...
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votes
1
answer
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Invalid answers in the review queue, but OP hasn't had time to fix it
It happens quite frequently that short answers (Title + Code) appear in the Low Quality review queue, due to the automatic flagging mechanisms.
In most cases, the answer "Looks OK". However, there ...
- 45.7k
-2
votes
1
answer
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views
User disobeying rules?
So last question that I posted. i.e : this, I wanted to ask because a specific new user whom I have warned almost on all answer he has posted (5-6) was not following, yet he keeps answering with ...
- 2,541
5
votes
4
answers
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Pointing out bugs without comment privilege
I found a bug in a code golf submission but do not yet have commenting privilege. Is there a polite way for me to let the user know about this bug?
The site offers me to "suggest an edit" but I'm not ...
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14
votes
3
answers
383
views
What to do when almost all answers are wrong?
In a recent challenge, almost all answers use an algorithm that yields the wrong results due to floating point errors.
The challenge is/was not unclear, but there was no test case that led to the ...
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votes
3
answers
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views
Is it legal to submit a function that must exist as a method on an object?
For a challenge, I recently submitted the JavaScript solution
[].push
To be clear, this isn't x=>[].push. The entry itself ...
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27
votes
4
answers
625
views
Is a proof of impossibility allowed as an answer?
I was thinking of a proof of impossibility for a long-running unanswered question on this site. By a proof of impossibility, what I mean is a proof that no possible answer can solve the challenge. ...
- 3,606
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vote
0
answers
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Is boiler-plate code required for challenges? [duplicate]
When solving a puzzle with an appropriate solution, does the programming language standard boiler-plate source code need to be included:
For example, should I include all of this:
...
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votes
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answer
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views
What are the standard requirements for answering a [random] challenge?
There are lots of of challenges involving randomness. However, not all languages have a built-in method for randomness. Some languages, like python or most golfing languages make it really easy. You ...
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votes
5
answers
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Getting Started
I've been lurking for quite a while and have realized (after a technical interview) that I'm really out of practice solving problems like what is here. Is there a language that you recommend I start ...
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answers
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views
Are baseline submissions serious contenders?
One of PPCG's oldest rules, mentioned in What topics can I ask about here?, is that all answers to challenge questions must:
Be a serious contender for the winning criteria in use. For example, an ...
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answer
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Multiple answers in a single post
Is is acceptable to bunch together multiple answers in a CW post just because the challenge is trivial?
See e.g. https://codegolf.stackexchange.com/a/151280/43319.
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answer
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Requiring non-builtin answers [duplicate]
Ever since PPCG was created, answers using builtins have been an issue for challenge writers. Sometimes, an interesting challenge can be posted, only for some languages (not necessarily golfing ...
- 48.4k
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votes
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answer
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What should be done about pre-posted Community Wiki answers that serve as a place for combining trivial answers?
Recently there was a challenge and the OP immediately posted a community wiki answer which would serve the purpose of combining trivial answers. Citing the answer:
This community answer is for ...
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votes
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answer
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Command-line flags on front ends
Our standard policy regarding command-line flags states that one should count the space before the dash (-) too, when there aren't any "free" options, since it ...
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1
answer
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Is a transliteration tool enough to grant count as SBCS?
Prompted by this. I'll speak about Dyalog APL here, but this could really apply to any language.
Background
Dyalog APL has its own SBCS called ⎕AV. For backwards ...
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answers
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Can interpreter flags causing major language differences be considered different versions of the language?
I recently (this morning) extended Cubically to have an internal cube of variable size. The cube size is passed via a third interpreter flag (3 for a 3x3x3, ...
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votes
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answers
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Is a quine that reads a function's source a cheating quine?
So, in the last couple months, I have seen several (especially JavaScript) quines told that they are cheating because they stringify a function. Accordingly, I thought that was the standard - it's ...
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answers
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Are modifications to existing languages allowed as submissions? [duplicate]
Say I have a language I'd love to use (like JavaScript for example), but there are tons of little pieces of functionality I'd love to modify built-ins with, like ...
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votes
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answer
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Stop converting duplicate answers to comments
In case you didn't know, whenever you post the exact same answer as was already posted, it gets converted to a comment.
I had no idea before I posted a crack on a cops-and-robbers post that someone ...
user58826
38
votes
2
answers
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Non-Trivial Answers get too few upvotes
It was recently brought up in chat that people are rewarded for trivial answers sometimes, which makes sense because this site is all about short code, but in other aspects, is bad because some ...
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votes
1
answer
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What to do about BBC micro:bit?
BBC micro:bit is a piece of hardware wich allows to to run code, such as Python or Javascript, that is custom made for the micro:bit chip. However, it in itself is not a programming language.
Instead,...
- 48.4k
97
votes
5
answers
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Let's allow newer languages/versions for older challenges
I've been thinking for a long time that our non-competing policy for newer languages (or language versions) is harmful. Just for context, we currently require all answers which require implementations ...
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answer
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Should you answer a competitive question if your answer is not competing / is not competitive?
I'm curious, because some answers seem to be posted regardless of the winning answer. Should non-competitive answers be posted when better answers exist for entries of the same language?
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answer
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The secret of upvotes
Okay, I admit the title is a bit cryptic but I couldn't come up with something better.
As some of you may have noticed I have started spending a lot more time on code golf answering questions/...
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