Re: Programming Puzzles

[etcshadow]

Hmm... I'm looking at number five, and I've got this instinctive sense that it is an inside joke for people who know python (which I do not). :-/

Like maybe there is some library or keyword "pickle" or some thing similar in python. That, or I'm missing the point :-)

[neniro]

Maybe this is useful (i haven't seen the riddle): pickle is serializing in python, like storable in perl.

[etcshadow]

Dang. Seems like the end of the line for using perl one-liners to solve the python problems. Once they're asking for binary-compatible answers from python... I guess I'd have to use python to go further.

[bmann]

CPAN to the rescue!

Python::Serialise::Pickle

untested, of course!

[gawatkins]

From the FAQ:

Do I have to use Python to solve the riddles? Most of the riddles can be solved with any language. Currently, only riddles 5 and 23 require Python. The hints in all riddles are geared towards Python programmers.

I am sure there is a Perl way for 23 as well-if not, one will soon be posted to CPAN.

Greg W.

[exussum0]

If you google around, you'll find the solution to this one, level 5. Consider that the puzzle in itself.

Solution (

it turns out to be a banner that says "channel"

)

The next one will prove to take a bit of effort, but after playing w/ their hints for a while, i was able to get something recognizable. Then it was a matter of shapping the output. It's much harder, I think, than doing it in python, but most are doable in perl too.

[kscaldef]

Can you really manage level 6 without using Python (and a recent Python at that)? Without giving too much of a spoiler, it seems like a critical bit of information is encoded in some way that the standard tools for working with this file format don't seem to be aware of. Update: nevermind. I needed to read the documentation more closely.