computer science

Obfuscated Perl Contest

Obfuscated Perl Contest is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Obfuscated Perl Contest rather than just read about it. In short: The Obfuscated Perl Contest was a competition for programmers of Perl which was held annually between 1996 and 2000. Entrants to the competition aimed to write "devious, inhuman, disgusting, amusing, amazing, and bizarre Perl code".

Key takeaways

Obfuscated Perl Contest belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Obfuscated Perl Contest to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Obfuscated Perl Contest from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Obfuscated Perl Contest was a competition for programmers of Perl which was held annually between 1996 and 2000. Entrants to the competition aimed to write "devious, inhuman, disgusting, amusing, amazing, and bizarre Perl code". It was run by The Perl Journal and took its name from the International Obfuscated C Code Contest.

Contest The entries were judged on aesthetics, output and incomprehensibility. One entrant per year received the Best of Show award. Entrants were advised to try and demonstrate a range of Perl knowledge, while being humorous, surprising and deceitful. Code which purposely crashed the judges' machines was discouraged. The competition was typically divided into four categories, which, in the last contest, included:

Create a Diversion (limit of 2048 bytes if using Perl/Tk, 512 bytes otherwise) World Wide Wasteland (limit of 512 bytes) Inner Beauty (limit of 512 bytes) Best The Perl Journal (code which generated the words The Perl Journal, limit of 256 bytes)

See also Obfuscated code Just another Perl hacker

References

Further reading Jon Orwant (2003). "Obfuscated Perl". Games, Diversions, and Perl Culture. O'Reilly. pp. 487–521. ISBN 978-0-596-00312-8. — reprints of the announcements, made in The Perl Journal by Felix S. Gallo, of the Zeroth, First, Third, Fourth, and Fifth contests

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Obfuscated Perl Contest

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Obfuscated Perl Contest claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Obfuscated Perl Contest before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Obfuscated Perl Contest ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Obfuscated Perl Contest

In research: Obfuscated Perl Contest appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Obfuscated Perl Contest in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Obfuscated Perl Contest is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer humour, Ironic and humorous awards, Perl, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Obfuscated Perl Contest outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Obfuscated Perl Contest in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Obfuscated Perl Contest means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Obfuscated Perl Contest out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Obfuscated Perl Contest in simple terms?

Why does Obfuscated Perl Contest matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Obfuscated Perl Contest?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Obfuscated Perl Contest.