Slashback: Fiction, Reprint, Browsing 53
Play with directories to find the X-rated version. Remember the Interactive Fiction Contest mentioned here a while ago? Andrew Plotkin writes with some results: "After six weeks of judging, the results of this year's text adventure competition are in. The top three places go to "Kaged", "Metamorphoses", and "Being Andrew Plotkin". But personally I'd be happy to recommend any of the top ten entries.... and not just because my entry (which was not called "Being Andrew Plotkin"!) came in tenth. Heh. Many of the lower-down placers are worth a look, too -- this is one of the best competition rosters we've ever had."
And speaking of contests ... chongo writes: "The International Obfuscated C Code Contest, the oldest Internet based contest, is not ready to go on the cart as some may had feared. With the addition of Simon Cooper as the 4th IOCCC judge and my early vacation return the IOCCC is moving forward again.
We (the judges), have been processing a near record number of entries. We have now entered the final judging out of which the IOCCC winners will be selected. We apologize for the delay and would like to assure all the contestants and the spectators that the IOCCC 2000 winners will be announced prior to the end of the true millennium. :-) Watch the IOCCC news for further development.
P.S. The rumor that some judges are considering opening up the 2001 IOCCC to C++ programs is true."
(Or try the Perry-Casteneda Library at the really big U) Thanks to xFoz you can rest easy in the knowledge that "you won't have to spend big bucks to put that long lost out of print Neal Stephenson book under the tree this year. But you will have to wait for next year for your very own less than $500 a copy of "The Big U." Preorder now and save $2.60! Amazon has the listing here" mattdm points out that "You can pre-order from Barnes and Noble," as well.
Apparently, this is not Stephenson's favorite of his works. In fact, it's also the only one of his books that I didn't read compulsively with little more than breaks for micturation and nutrition, but it's hard to complain about having some more Neal Stephenson to read! (Thanks to my brother for turning me on to The Diamond Age, too.)
Straight up, no chaser LunarOne writes "I accidentally found the real direct link to downloading Netscape 6, without using their annoying little setup app. Thought I would contribute this since I hadn't seen the link anywhere here on /. I found it while downloading the Windows version of Netscape 6. I protect my Windoze box with BlackIce Defender and this firewall-ish program reported back to me the real download site. Anyways, I had low expectations of NS6 due to some negative comments I had heard here earlier. But, I gotta say I really like it. I have been downloading Mozilla builds regularly for a very long while, and still have high hopes for Mozilla. However, right now I'm enjoying Netscape 6, despite the included commercialisms previously condemned in this forum."
Good lord... (Score:5)
And I know, obfustification probably isn't a word.
J
Is it fame? (Score:2)
For me it is more the challenge of it all. I have never submitted an entry to the contest, but quite a few times I have started on that path, just for the fun of it....
On the other hand, Open source hackers do get more recognition as well they should. Paul Vixie, Bill Joy, Henry Spencer, Vinton Cerf, Eric Raymond, Linus Torvald, Miguel de Icaza. Those names stick like glue to my memory cells...
Netscape 6 AOL Adware on Mac (Score:2)
Interactive Fiction Competition (Score:2)
You can also read many of the reviews [about.com] at interactfiction.about.com.
Re:Is it fame? (Score:1)
yeah, you know, solaris is a pretty famous piece of open-source software and all.
idiot.
new challenge... (Score:2)
probably pretty lame.
BUT, you just never know...
Re:Good lord... (Score:1)
In 1999, marijuana [smokedot.org] killed 0 Americans...
Obsfuscated C code? BAH humbug! (Score:3)
I fixed code that was so bad, the programmer who wrote it apoligized in the comments. I'm sorry for this, but Dick wanted this right now, not right.
Get the PDFs of the Big U (Score:2)
http://server3003.freeyellow.com/neilbury/
The Big U (Score:2)
There are some parts that are a bit dated, there are little bits here and there that you'll notice in later novels (e.g. the name of the fake band in Cryptonomicon is the name of a computer used by role-players), and the ending is, as usual, not as good as the set up.
But for the compulsive N.S. reader who even has the magazine articles and the Stephen Bury novels, it's worth it.
Netscape 6 direct link (Score:1)
PCL? What made you pick the PCL? (Score:1)
I guess that's the PCL [utexas.edu] at the University of Texas at Austin [utexas.edu].
I spent way too much time there, though I seem to have spent most of my time in the UGL [utexas.edu] or in the Physics-Math Library [utexas.edu] rather than the PCL.
Re:new challenge... (Score:1)
I'm so saddend and offended... I think I'll run off somewhere to cry.
yeah... right
dumbass
NS6/win32 rocks! (Score:2)
And that guy's URL was perhaps too specific. All platforms are at ftp://ftpnscp.newaol.com/pub/ net scape6/english/6.0 [newaol.com]
________________________________________
Re:new challenge... (Score:1)
but, really... I'd actually be damn impressed if someone could actually write a story with a C program hidden and well crafted into it. Perhaps everyone doesn't appreciate my (our) warped sense of humor - but every now and then, I'm actually half serious...
Enough ranting... I've crap to do and dinner to cook
Re:Netscape 6 direct link (Score:1)
Downloading Netscape 6 (Score:1)
NS6/Linux sucks... (Score:1)
Wade.
Re:NS6/win32 rocks! (Score:3)
netscape-i686-pc-linux-gnu-sea.tar.gz 29.06 MB 09.11.2000 13:03:00
29 Megs!!! What's the other 20 MB for? Mozilla is only a 9MB download.
direct FTP access to Netscape 6 (Score:2)
ftp://ftp6. net scape.com/pub/netscape6/english/6.0/windows/win32
(ftp6 is one I chose at random; ftp2 through ftp9 should all work)
Netscape 6 FTP (Score:1)
Re:Butcher Damn You're Dumb (Score:1)
BSD is NOT open source. it doesn not meet the open-source license critera as designed by bruce perins.
But the BSD License, version 2.0, does meet Eric S. Raymond's Open Source Definition [opensource.org] (the Debian free software guidelines [debian.org] are nearly identical) as well as being a non-copyle ft GPL-compatible free software license [gnu.org] according to Richard M. "Goat ScanDisker" Stallman
(Yes, the name of the god of the Eloi [pineight.com] is Butcher [preciousmoments.com].)Netscape setup sucks (Score:2)
The Big U: No way you're finding it in a library (Score:1)
The book is worth a couple of hundred $US even in semi-crappy condition. You really think a library copy would have lasted more than a couple of weeks before getting pinched? I have a copy of the original and until I sell it, I won't be letting it out of the house. ;)
-TBHiX-
BTW, shameless plug: anyone who wants to make a reasonable offer... kmorris at-sign cs period mun period ca. You know the substitutions.
Someone do some spellchecking (Score:2)
not micturation
Im beginning to think they do it as a joke...
Am I the only one with netscape 6 setup problems? (Score:1)
to download from behind a firewall. I poked around and found the sea version and the install miraculously worked fine.
Also the windows version would always crap out
during the install. (missing sdinst.dll) I
tried it a couple of days later and it just
started working. That's windows.
Re:Good lord... (Score:1)
Re:new challenge... (Score:1)
Re:Am I the only one... (Score:1)
Re:Netscape setup sucks (Score:1)
just a thought..
-andy
The Big U (Score:2)
Re:Get the PDFs of the Big U (Score:1)
Re:The Big U: No way you're finding it in a librar (Score:1)
There ain't no loathing like self-loathing.
Re:Get the PDFs of the Big U (Score:1)
thanks for indemnifying and encouraging theft from one of slashdot's favorite authors.
Um, the author said he wasn't particularly proud of that book and it's been out of print for quite a while. People who have read it weren't terribly impressed. It is not being printed again.
Yes, I know I'm responding to a troll, but if people continue to think that the distribution of out of print stuff that will most likely never be sold again is some sort of evil then we will lose a big, though rather unpopular, chunk of our culture.
Re:PCL? What made you pick the PCL? (Score:1)
Re:The Big U: No way you're finding it in a librar (Score:1)
It'll kill you to look?
Re:Netscape setup sucks (Score:1)
Re:Netscape setup sucks (Score:3)
The first
In a perfect world, there would also be a "download the whole setup" option for those of us who know our settings. (This is targeted at AOLers after all) There would also be no suspicion of what the 500K install reports back...
In a perfect world, on the other hand, a lot of things would be better.
RE:Downloading Netscape... (Score:1)
When ever I upgrade, I just ftp to ftpx.netscape.com, replacing "x" with a single digit, non-zero number.
ttyl
Farrell
Re:Get the PDFs of the Big U (Score:1)
No, it's notoriety! (Score:1)
Re:Good lord... (Score:1)
obfuscation is a noun
In a conversation with an OED editor, we learned that obfuscate in its various forms have been used as far back as 1577, but fell into disuse around 1900. The editor told us that their had been an increase of the use of the word in the early 1990's ... and traced part of the
increase back to the
IOCCC [isthe.com]. :-)
What "The Big U" really ought to be called. (Score:1)
I read a copy, it's really not terribly good, I'm surprised Stephenson is allowing it to be reprinted as it's not a patch on any of his later works from Zodiac onwards.
Hacker: A criminal who breaks into computer systems
Re:Good lord... (Score:1)
I think it would be a good idea. C++ code can be very contorted and brutally obscure by it own, but usually it is so by ''accident'' (you disagree? what? Ok, that's what I thought). I would love to see what happens if the language falls in the hands of true artists.
I stopped using C++ because it was so full of rules and philosophy. I allways ended up feeling guilty (poor li'll me :) ). It really felt like the philosophy was not helping me - it was just making my life misarable. I think an Obfuscated C++ contest would be a good oportunity to approach the language with a clear mind, and maybe really unleash the power beneath.
rmstar
Re:Is it fame? (Score:2)
From the conversations that I have had with IOCCC winners [ioccc.org], I would say about 1/2 of what drives them recognition. More than a few IOCCC winners tell is that they put the fact that they won on the resume and/or web site.
I was told by one winner that they won a promotion within their company and beat out a number of other candidates in part because their local newspaper had run a story about their ``winning a programming contest''. And, ``I swear I am not making this up'': their promotion gave them a significant new role in the company QA department. This winner credits a clueless newspaper reporter as well as a pointy-haired management selection committee for not understanding the IOCCC.
Winners have the choice to remain anonymous. Very few entries even request this option. The only anonymous winner was back in 1984. When asked by people doing stories on the IOCCC, we tell them that this person as somewhat well known for a number of things, not the least is in regards to their early work with C and Un*x. To this day they remain steadfast in their desire to remain anonymous.
I'd say about 1/3 are driven by the technical challenge. Some winners have reported that they worked off-and-on on their entry for several years. In one case a winning entry became part of their Ph.D. thesis! Given the complexity of some of the winners, I can certainly understand this motivation.
Of the remaining 1/6, one is collecting multiple wins; to try be the person who as won the most number of times. Another less common motivation is in finding new ways to abuse the IOCCC rules.
My favorite IOCCC abuse so far was done by:
Spinellis's 1988 entry [ioccc.org]:
#include </dev/tty>
Re:The Big U: No way you're finding it in a librar (Score:1)
I got The Big U through inter-library loan with no problem. Since I thought that Stephenson wasn't going to let it be reprinted, I went to the trouble of photocopying it. Now I'll be able to soothe my conscience and buy a copy. Quite nice.
"That fat, dumb, and bald guy sure plays a mean hardball."
ftp.uu.net/tmp/thebigu.pdf (Score:1)
but on a much more reliable connection.
If you need a LaTeX, PostScript, or plain-text
look at his web page
Re:Netscape setup sucks (Score:1)
Re:The Big U: No way you're finding it in a librar (Score:1)
OK, I stand corrected. However, I still find it suprising. Usually something worth that much isn't going to stay put once sufficiently sticky fingers pass over it.
At least I don't have to look; as I said, I have a copy, though I'm looking to sell it.
-TBHiX-
Re:Netscape setup sucks (Score:1)
Cool - I'd never thought about that, figuring the installer would be "smart" enough to figure out where stuff would go, but for the plugins that may already exist on the system, it actually makes sense. Thanx for the clue.
Re:The Big U: No way you're finding it in a librar (Score:2)
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Re:What "The Big U" really ought to be called. (Score:1)
Personally, I think it's a great book. *shrug*
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Re:Man... (Score:2)
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