Project Euler Forum

The sticky says "The proper place to discuss relevant algorithms, solution methods, proofs, results for higher limits etc is of course the thread of each problem which becomes accessible only after submitting the correct answer."

How am I supposed to do that when the solution threads for the problems have been locked?!

Do you think new members aren't going to start at problem 1, or that they won't want to discuss it with other new members?

Well, for the locked threads, it is assumed that all the solutions have been discussed through & through. No new discussion will be made, just repetitions of what's been said already. If you have a novel solution, PM the admins and they may unlock it for you.

If you have a novel solution

That is the key AFTER you have studied carefully the entire thread. And the word "novel" must also incorporate the quality of "more efficient" (i.e. faster algo and not necessarily less code lines) without resorting to specialized functions of the programming language used.

On the one hand, it makes sense that you wouldn't want just a bunch of "me too" and redundant code posted on old threads.

But it means that for those users who were here years ago, the site involved both a math and code challenge as well as a sense of community and camaraderie. For new users, at least if they are starting with the first problems (as I am), there is the first part, but there is no sense of community. It's a shame.

I just solved problem 045, and I'm pretty happy with my solution. It finds the answer in the blink of an eye, and I let it run up to 2.2 quintillian to find the next two numbers (in just over 11 seconds) -- 14 and 19 digits, respectively. On the old, locked thread, I saw someone mention that they had found the 14 digit number. I didn't read far enough to see if anyone found the 19 digit one. What's the point? I couldn't post about it anyway.

Oh well, onward and upward to problem 046. Ho hum. Maybe someday I'll get up to a problem where I can chat with others who are working on it. I guess I could skip to more recent problems (I had a go at 302, but got stuck), but ... well, that's just not like me. I really think the folks running the site ought to think about the experience for new users.

I have to say, I agree with apollo33 and dconrad. The problems have been getting harder for a while, and reaching an unlocked forum is an accomplishment for anyone. We don't want to discourage newcomers by suggesting we're not interested in their posts.

Maybe it would make sense to add a second set of forums, at least for the first hundred or so problems? That is, leave the original locked forum, but add another that stays open. If there's a space concern, old comments could be cycled out of the second forum every few months.