Advent of Code: 500 Stars
a day ago
- #programming
- #AdventOfCode
- #coding-challenges
- Advent of Code is a yearly series of programming challenges released daily from December 1 to December 25.
- The author completed all 500 stars, having previously missed parts of some years.
- Languages used include Rust, Fennel, Scheme (Racket), Forth, and C, with Python noted as a leaderboard favorite due to its libraries and Z3 integration.
- AI solutions are becoming common for early problems, with solve times under 10 seconds.
- Problems are solvable with first-year CS knowledge and run efficiently on older hardware.
- Key advice includes reading problems thoroughly, paying attention to bolded text, specializing solutions for given inputs, and running test cases.
- Discourages guessing part b of problems and competing on the leaderboard for a better experience.
- Advent of Code is not ideal for learning new languages due to the complexity of later problems.
- The author's solutions ranged from 12 lines of Racket to 560 lines of C.
- Encourages trying Advent of Code for fun programming and CS practice, and supports donating to the project.