Python Programming Contest

[James]

Brian Quinlan wrote:
> I've decided that it would be be fun to host a weekly Python programming
> contest. The focus will be on algorithms that require a bit of thought
> to design but not much code to implement.
>
> I'm doing to judge the solutions based on execution speed. It sucks but
> that is the easiest important consideration to objectively measure. I'll
> also indicated which solutions I think are good examples of Python
> design. Hopefully, people's solutions can provide a resource for people
> looking for best practice examples and also for people looking for
> performance ideas.
>
> You can find the first problem here:
> http://www.sweetapp.com/pycontest/contest1
>
> I'm always looking for feedback, so let me know what you think or if you
> have any ideas for future problems.
>
> Cheers,
> Brian

I am not sure if it is a good idea to use a LiveCD for OS when you are
testing for speed. CD access speeds fluctuate and may even impact
performance even if you start measuring after the module loading is
complete.