The IOCCC is back

In 1993 the IOCCC also sponsored the International Obsfucated Postscript Contest.<p><a href="http://web.mit.edu/PostScript/obfuscated-1993/" rel="nofollow">http://web.mit.edu/PostScript/obfuscated-1993/</a><p><a href="http://web.mit.edu/PostScript/obfuscated-1993/WINNERS" rel="nofollow">http://web.mit.edu/PostScript/obfuscated-1993/WINNERS</a><p>In PostScript you can redefine all of your operators (even operator for redefining!), and indeed this was often done to make the programs more compact for sending to printers in a shorter amount of time. This made PostScript an optimal language for disturbing levels of obsfucation.<p>The winner of "Most Obsfucated Artwork" was Takashi Hayakawa's astonishing entry:<p><pre><code> %!OPS-1.0 %%Creator: HAYAKAWA,Takashi&#60;h-takasi@isea.is.titech.ac.jp&#62; /A/copy/p/floor/q/gt/S/add/n/exch/i/index/J/ifelse/r/roll/w/div/H{{loop}stopped Y}def/t/and/C/neg/T/dup/h/exp/Y/pop/d/mul/s/cvi/e/sqrt/R/rlineto{load def}H 300 T translate(V2L&#38;1i2A00053r45hNvQXz&#38;vUX&#38;UOvQXzFJ!FJ!J!O&#38;Y43d9rE3IaN96r63rvx2dcaN G&#38;140N7!U&#38;4C577d7!z&#38;&#38;93r6IQO2Z4o3AQYaNlxS2w!!f&#38;nY9wn7wpSps1t1S!D&#38;cjS5o32rS4oS3o Z&#38;blxC1SdC9n5dh!I&#38;3STinTinTinY!B&#38;V0R0VRVC0R!N&#38;3A3Axe1nwc!l&#38;993dC99Cc96raN!a&#38;1CD E&#38;YYY!F&#38;&#38;vGYx4oGbxSd0nq&#38;3IGbxSGY4Ixwca3AlvvUkbQkdbGYx4ofwnw!&#38;vlx2w13wSb8Z4wS!J! c&#38;j1idj2id42rd!X&#38;4I3Ax52r8Ia3A3Ax65rTdCS4iw5o5IxnwTTd32rCST0q&#38;eCST0q&#38;D1!&#38;EYE0!J &#38;EYEY0!J0q!x&#38;jd5o32rd4odSS!K&#38;WCVW!Q&#38;31C85d4!k&#38;X&#38;E9!&#38;1!J!v&#38;6A!b&#38;7o!o&#38;1r!j&#38;43r!W) {( )T 0 4 3 r put T(/)q{T(9)q{cvn}{s}J}{($)q{[}{]}J}J cvx}forall 270{def}H K{K{L setgray moveto B fill}for Y}for showpage </code></pre> One of the most incredible examples of compactness and obsfucation ever. I have heard that after seeing this entry, the judges were moved to simply end the contest after the first year.

They have also finally released the 2006 winning entries for the first time, so be sure to check those out.

It's been a very long time and I'm very glad to see a new IOCCC. I clearly remember the day I read about (and successfully booted) the 2004 "best of the show" entry.<p><a href="http://www.ioccc.org/years.html#2004_gavin" rel="nofollow">http://www.ioccc.org/years.html#2004_gavin</a>

The linked page says that they'll start accepting submissions on the 1st of December.

Best news I've ever read on this site.<p>I love terse code. It's so much easier to learn from.<p>I wish we could revive an obfuscated sed contest as well.<p>Awesome news.