Award: Consistently constant award ## To build: ``` make all ``` ## Try: ``` ./prog | cat ./prog > out cat -v out ``` ## Judges' remarks: A little poem, no AI - just free,
something from us, for all to see: ``` Beneath the hush of calculus’ breath, Where limits dance with range and depth; There stirs a number, whose exponent is there, With complex cycles, and digits to spare. With compound interest, from balance may rise, That swells beneath the banker’s eyes; A meager value that starts out small, With time expands and value grows tall. So set the terms: at a rate of one per span, Compounded n times, then let n ascend; Whose decimal digits, one may behold, That goes on without end, no matter how old. View the source, a variable you see, Single and clean, not needing three; Base 10 digits grow vast, a boundless sea, Follow that number, what will it be? ``` ### A fun challenge #### Fun challenge 0 Are you able to explain why [prog.c](%%REPO_URL%%/2025/dogon/prog.c) prints only a limited number of digits of the **constant*? The above fun challenge is **still open**. See the "[Fun challenge Info](../index.html#fun_challenge_info)" section for details. #### Fun challenge 1 Given the "*constant*" that is printed, explain the last line of output: ``` ./prog | tail -1 ``` The above fun challenge is **still open**. See the "[Fun challenge Info](../index.html#fun_challenge_info)" section for details. #### Fun challenge 2 Generate an alternative version of [prog.c](%%REPO_URL%%/2025/dogon/prog.c), named `prog.alt.c`, that prints **IOCCC 2025** at the very end, in honor of the contest year in which it won, instead of **IOCCC 2026**. The above fun challenge is **still open**. See the "[Fun challenge Info](../index.html#fun_challenge_info)" section for details. #### Fun challenge 3 Additionally, observe the [try.sh](%%REPO_URL%%/2025/dogon/try.sh) script uses the following display the program's output: ``` ./prog | cat ``` However, the following may, for some environments, will print what seems like garbage: ``` ./prog ``` Explain why this command: ``` ./prog | cat > foo ``` may produce, for some environments, different output than the following command: ``` ./prog > bar ``` The above fun challenge is **still open**. See the "[Fun challenge Info](../index.html#fun_challenge_info)" section for details. ## Author's remarks: ### A little song (and no dance) > What this program does is plain to see, > as the only one variable it uses is e. > No other identifiers there you'll discern, > except the required printf, calloc, and main. > > The constant is printed, to quite a few digits, > yet there's none in the source, you'd better believe it. > Yes, "Where are the constants inside?" you may wonder, > No Zero, nor One, and none any other. > > "What of string constants?" You might indeed ask. > So many printfs, they must have formats, > but none will you find, no there is no trick, > All prints are achieved by some arithmetic. > > The program's a bit longer than it should be, > as it tries to support also big endianity. > Though try it does, there is a small snag, > there's no CCOI contest, I guess it's a bug! ### And some history An earlier version of the entry was written more than a decade ago, and failed to make it. The only simple simple change in the output updating 2015 to 2026 was quite a bit of a challenge, which means indeed the level of obfuscation is considerable. The remarks song was written a decade ago too, so, no AI chatbot was abused, and its an entirely original work. Indeed, the program is treading some familiar themes and there's been the 1989/roemer entry, but it had lots more variables and constants. I'd say this entry is the C programming constrained writing [OuLiPo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oulipo) inverse of Perecs [A void](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Void). ### A note about the layout This was the other main change of the original. Indeed the layout is quite extremely sparse and has to be viewed with tabstop 8, and a rather big terminal. And then take limit at infinity :)