Page 2 - Contest Code.. A Waste?

Matt,
If I had known about this site earlier, I'm sure I'd entered the Google Search contest...
Such a search engine is far more easy then filtering HTML tags. Take a look at: www.google.com/apis/

Anyway, I do like these contests, so go on!

PostalCow: You do not need a contest to produce a usefull app.

Matt: If a "usefull-programm" contest results in zero entrys, it doesn't automaticly mean that all "usefull-programm" contests result in zero entrys. (do you get my point?)

I understand what you are saying..I do plan to give the useful program thing a try again in the future. Hoopefully I can find a way to have it accepted better by people...

Maybe you could make a post asking for ideas. My idea for a cool app that has not been made yet in PHP is.... Drum Roll Please.........

An auction sniping application. Like the one at www.esnipe.com This would be challenging. The app would also have a portion that would run in cron.

What about breaking down a "useful" app into components, and then having a contest for each component? It would be easier to judge, and at the end of the series we'd have a working app with the best of the best parts.

Gary

I give a vote for the esnipe app. do that one.

Hey this "real world purpose" sounds to me like making people work for free...

I have enough work at work, sure.

What I like about theese PHP contests is the fact that they are games. They are meant to be fun, as far as I know. I have enjoyed myself programming my entries. For each, I have spent my free time for a week, not more. Also I have showed them off to friends and relatives because they were fun.

Though I haven't won, I have won. ;-)

Its not free.. They get a prize and fame

You are meaning 'The Winner' where you put 'They'.

Sorry, I don't mean to argue ;-).

As I said before I come to Codewalkers in search for fun.

I like the contests the way they are. For the first time I'm seriously trying to code something for a contest on this site. Hopefully I can code something.

Seriously, guys, do you really think you could derive the same enjoyment from writing some boring app? Think how difficult some of these contests have been. There's no way a 'useful program' would ever compare.

If the challenge is not there, the fun is not there. Just lok at this contest, for example. There's no way you can test all letter combos in 30 seconds. The challenge is to use the CPU time the best. There's no 'useful program' that would need more than 30 seconds CPU time, unless it was waiting for input.

pls do not make "useful" contest in future. because in real world most of useful things is trivial things - a lot of code and none of brain. it sux. and if content will be smth like to make google search, i wont participate there. because its boring. i have enough even more interesting work in my job. and as i am not web programmer, it even wont be useful for me.

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Tamsus

ok, i can agree, some "useful" problems can be interesting. e.g. to make own regexp engine or some own script language parser. but it require a lot of precise work, and not everyone can spent his time for it.

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Tamsus

I'd love the idea of some sort of Protocol Suite or something.

Take, for example, an application that combines your POP3 and IMAP accounts into a simple, no-nonsense interface.

Or (and this is my facorite) a mirroring "server client" that can communicate to a "network server" via a communication layer on top of HTTP. (The network server is used to distribute download requests among servers that are logged in... do you see where I'm going with this?)

I started on the latter idea, but got busy. I vote that as the next "practical use" contest. You, Matt, write the network server. The contest will be to write the best and most useful of the server clients used for administrating the files owned by that specific server.

If it's not a contest, I'm gonna do it myself and show you all up. So there.

I like the notion of contests based around abstract problems like the current scrabble board. Suggesting that only "real world" problems be presented is like suggesting that one dispense with exercise and simply go straight to the Olympics. It is this kind of mental gymnastics that makes it easier to handle the "real world" stuff -- if there is such a thing as a "real world" problem.

Keep the contest the way it is. Google search? IMAP protocol? where is the fun in this? They will also require very much time and knowledge. You may gain something but not fun!

As vertigo said above, take this contest. We are trying to optimize our scripts for 30 seconds, to find the best formula, to find more efficient programming ways. Now that IS fun!