tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post1886268218064120453..comments2023-06-18T16:15:22.432+01:00Comments on PL/SQL Challenge: Sad Day for the PL/SQL Challenge: Cheaters RemovedSteven Feuersteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16619706770920320550noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-61378156627125428732013-10-29T20:31:06.231+00:002013-10-29T20:31:06.231+00:00Steven,
You deserve a price!
As an alternative yo...Steven, <br />You deserve a price!<br />As an alternative you can select 10 charity organisations, the winner can choose what organisation gets the money, his price is that he or she is mentioned in the hall of fame with the price and organisation mentioned.<br />Regards,<br />Dik Pater.<br />The Netherlands.Dik Paterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139084831575541457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-48675109684543099722013-10-14T09:09:49.854+01:002013-10-14T09:09:49.854+01:00Hello Steven,
no, I never got any complaint from ...Hello Steven,<br /><br />no, I never got any complaint from them. They were rather friendly - the only problem is that it can last a little bit longer until you get the ebook or any reply at all from them.<br /><br />Kind regards, NielsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-15617716893195696752013-10-11T17:05:02.782+01:002013-10-11T17:05:02.782+01:00Hello Steven, All,
I just want to mention that on...Hello Steven, All,<br /><br />I just want to mention that once I wrote to O'Reilly and asked about a book that was not in the<br />list of books that accompanied the e-mail, but was available while browsing the O'Reilly shop site<br />( as in the "normal" way of shopping on a web site ).<br /><br />The answer that I received, however, was that "the book I asked about is *not* included in this promotion",<br />so, from here I understood that we have to choose only from the list of books that accompanies the<br />e-mail we receive.<br /><br />The list of books is indeed very long, though, in comparison with other topics,<br />the number of Oracle-related titles is not very large.<br /><br />Thanks a lot & Best Regards,<br />Iudithiudithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04905902445036068357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-87114769945036514132013-10-11T13:43:00.510+01:002013-10-11T13:43:00.510+01:00And you never got any complaint from them? They ju...And you never got any complaint from them? They just got you your book? OReilly is so nice....but I am not sure if I want to put that in the message to players - because OReilly has NOT told me that officially. Hate to abuse their generosity.<br /><br />Ah, but I stand corrected on one thing: you are NOT restricted just to Oracle books. We SAID that but it wasn't true - there is a Loooooong list of books to choose from.Steven Feuersteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619706770920320550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-16133740311124540722013-10-11T08:28:43.840+01:002013-10-11T08:28:43.840+01:00You can not only select books at O'Reilly that...You can not only select books at O'Reilly that are on the page that is mentioned in the "winner" emails. I have often written an email to O'Reilly because the book I wanted to recveive wasn't in the list of possible books. In the section titled "Before you request your Ebook please be sure to do the following:" there is one important item in the list:<br /><br />"Fill out the form below to submit your request. If the book you are interested in is not listed below please email orders@oreilly.com."<br /><br />So just forward your winning message with a request for the book you want to recveive to "orders@oreilly.com".<br /><br />Kind regards,<br />Niels HeckerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-23812851698248864852013-10-09T13:17:28.396+01:002013-10-09T13:17:28.396+01:00Yes, we are done with cash prizes. I will look int...Yes, we are done with cash prizes. I will look into "broadening" the books that can be chosen as prizes.Steven Feuersteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619706770920320550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-55607130114480244912013-10-09T08:04:16.170+01:002013-10-09T08:04:16.170+01:00Hi Steven,
I really appreciate your effort in rem...Hi Steven,<br /><br />I really appreciate your effort in removing cheaters from this forum and I assume that all genuine players play ONLY to test and enhance their knowledge. So probably you can consider doing away with cash (Amazon card) prizes and award only Books. I am sure this will never be a motivation for a cheater to play the quizzes and at the same time this sort of prize could be the most precious one for the genuine learners. Probably you may ask the winner to select a book from a list of books (including books on other technologies like Java, Unix) just in case he/she already won an Oracle book and now may want to learn some other technology as well. In this way we can ensure the prizes are actually helping winners to learn even more.<br /><br />And obviously, I Love Pl SQl Challenge :-)<br /><br />Thanks,<br />ShilpaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-58818894284825829142013-10-08T21:19:51.100+01:002013-10-08T21:19:51.100+01:00Please please please do not think that a low ranki...Please please please do not think that a low ranking in a Championship would raise a flag for cheating. That is NOT how our algorithm works, not at all.<br /><br />Great point about lifetime achievement vs. one Championship, Iudith. I will give that some thought.<br /><br />Generally, I think the site could be MUCH better at showcasing players in various ways. I have thought about:<br /><br />Player of the Year<br />Reviewer of the Year<br /><br />and so on. Steven Feuersteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619706770920320550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-78579062502409652252013-10-08T20:10:32.501+01:002013-10-08T20:10:32.501+01:00Hi,
cheaters are really bad and shows no real val...Hi,<br /><br />cheaters are really bad and shows no real valuation for creating the mass of quizzes and administration of the website.<br /><br />I think, charging a symbolic amount could some of them get out of the challenge, but this could victimize mass of players, who are not cheating.<br /><br />My personal motivation for playing is to learn about new or unknown features, so for me prizes are not really necessary. The prizes are a nice gift for rewarding good knowledge, but they can be a wrong incentive for cheaters.<br /><br />Steve, I don't know if I remember correct: was not planned a change in the prices to reduce the costs of website? Probably, the prices could be reduced to maximal 10$ for the best or better, no distribution of any prices.<br />Without monetary prices it is only played for honour, which is sufficient for me. This will not stop all cheaters, but I think, most of them will not invest much effort without monetary incentive.<br /><br />Best regards,<br />TobiasTobiashttp://www.tostark.denoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-22227267301517397422013-10-08T19:36:42.635+01:002013-10-08T19:36:42.635+01:00Hello Steven, All,
I fully agree with Gary Myers&...Hello Steven, All,<br /><br />I fully agree with Gary Myers's post above, in that it takes a high degree of commitment<br />and not a small effort to play daily, along several years, and sacrificing a lot for not missing any quiz.<br /><br />My personal feeling was always that the Championship Playoff ranking in the Top3 was usually celebrated with "a little bit too much drums", and this even without any relation to the money prize <br />that accompanied it up no now.<br /><br />If we look back at the first few Playoffs played, then along all these years the Playoffs have become<br />more and more difficult with the time ... so, if ranking on a low place in a Playoff or even in <br />several ones would always mean cheating, then most of the Playoff participants, including probably ALL the winners up to now could easily be categorizable as cheaters, exactly as Siim Kask said.<br /><br />When I said "too much drums", what I wanted to say was that, again, in my opinion,<br />the Playoff is maybe the kind of competition which reflects in the lowest degree the long-time commitment and devotion of a player to the PL/SQL Challenge ... at the other end, in my opinion, stands the "Lifetime ranking", which goes almost unnoticed when compared to the Playoff ...<br /><br />Maybe this "too shining" color of the Playoff became kind of "naturally attractive" for cheaters ...<br /><br />I am confident, however that, as Steven said, the algorithms implemented are strong and reliable enough for not producing "false positives" ... this would be too sad for any Playoff participant <br />that just happens to rank low, something that, again, may happen at any time, to anyone of us .<br /><br /><br />Thanks a lot & Best Regards,<br />Iudith Mentzel<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-32900368042838030852013-10-08T14:27:04.838+01:002013-10-08T14:27:04.838+01:00Thanks, I will fix that and "re-issue" t...Thanks, I will fix that and "re-issue" the poll.Steven Feuersteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619706770920320550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-86197732892052281762013-10-08T14:02:15.458+01:002013-10-08T14:02:15.458+01:00Hi Steven.
In your poll on payments it's not ...Hi Steven.<br /><br />In your poll on payments it's not very clear per what we are voting to pay. Is it per Quiz? Per Week? Per Month? Per Quarter? etc or it's once off? Because my answer is different depending on the above.<br /><br />Best Regards<br /><br />AnnaAnna Onishchuknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-77050562443931271882013-10-08T13:57:48.569+01:002013-10-08T13:57:48.569+01:00Matthias,
I think he talks about the chess player...Matthias,<br /><br />I think he talks about the chess players who cheat during the game by consulting a computer, using their cell with or without help of an accomplice.<br /><br />Hamid TalebianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-72413787197440223442013-10-08T06:32:57.259+01:002013-10-08T06:32:57.259+01:00Here is what former Chess World Champion Garry Kas...Here is what former Chess World Champion Garry Kasparov thinks about cheaters:<br />https://twitter.com/Kasparov63/status/387388445779185665<br /><br />I don't know if he refers to this case here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-86274701232850880462013-10-07T20:52:24.618+01:002013-10-07T20:52:24.618+01:00Bruno, I like your idea and have entertained it in...Bruno, I like your idea and have entertained it in the past, in various forms, but I tend to think that MANY players would stop playing to avoid giving their credit card info for something that is free, and something that is not really necessary for them. <br /><br />But perhaps I will put up a poll about this.....Steven Feuersteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619706770920320550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-81759630822014738042013-10-07T18:00:28.566+01:002013-10-07T18:00:28.566+01:00Hello Steven,
too bad for them! It's their lo...Hello Steven,<br /><br />too bad for them! It's their loss. My main prize is to learn with all of you and challenge myself everyday. And what a journey has been so far. As an active player, i don't give a damn to where their prizes are. Just keep on forward!<br /><br />Here's a suggestion: i know you want plsqlchallenge to be free but how about charging a symbolic amount (1$/year ?). Those kind of players would stay away, or am i being too naive?<br /><br />Best regards,<br />Bruno MartinsBruno Martinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11357850490172364338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-16580392712032651062013-10-07T17:29:32.651+01:002013-10-07T17:29:32.651+01:00I love this site too much for testing my database,...I love this site too much for testing my database, pl/sql knowledge and learned so many new things, really Great. I understand Steve's frustration.<br /><br />I looked for similar site for java too, but found nothing so far. Steve might inspire someone to start it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-29197443391902116652013-10-07T16:54:33.385+01:002013-10-07T16:54:33.385+01:00Frank, I wasn't planning on releasing the algo...Frank, I wasn't planning on releasing the algorithms. Just letting players APPLY the algorithms to their choices of players. I would keep the data and code to myself.Steven Feuersteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619706770920320550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-55201971990185208472013-10-07T16:53:39.468+01:002013-10-07T16:53:39.468+01:00Sorry, should have been more clear. I am not certa...Sorry, should have been more clear. I am not certain that there are actually three distinct living and breathing humans. Maybe just two, maybe in actuality just one. One person could pretend to be two people playing the championship at the same time. And while those locations are different, the IP addresses when quizzes were played tended to show something else.Steven Feuersteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619706770920320550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-42917646089981201512013-10-07T16:47:50.552+01:002013-10-07T16:47:50.552+01:00Steven,
given, that, as the above links
https://w...Steven,<br /><br />given, that, as the above links<br />https://www.xing.com/profiles/Frank_Schrader17<br />https://www.xing.com/profiles/Dieter_Kowalski<br />https://www.xing.com/profiles/Konrad_Schmidt19<br />show, <br />Frank Schrader works in Braunschweig ( Brunswick ), <br />Dieter Kowalski works in Wolfsburg, <br />and Konrad Schmidt works in Halle/Saale,<br />and due to their names it seems quite likely they all three are Germans.<br />For those not familiar with German geography, <br />http://tinyurl.com/oo68xwq<br />shows the location of these three towns in Northern Germany<br /><br />MatthiasAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-68621218850546055032013-10-07T15:16:04.030+01:002013-10-07T15:16:04.030+01:00Anna, as I stated earlier, it is not a matter of j...Anna, as I stated earlier, it is not a matter of just a single answer or performance on a single championship. It is a matter of analyzing a long-term pattern of behavior that involves at least one other player, and sometimes more. So, no, if you guess and answer quickly on a quiz, you will not be flagged as a cheater. If you start answering really quickly all the time with 100% correctness, and then in the playoff you blast through all obstacles to a 100% score in 5 minutes, well, then, yes, you would come under suspicion.<br /><br />Does that clarify things?Steven Feuersteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619706770920320550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-48482599579545466882013-10-07T15:15:03.222+01:002013-10-07T15:15:03.222+01:00Dear Steven, dear fellow players,
a sad day for t...Dear Steven, dear fellow players,<br /><br />a sad day for the PL/SQL challenge indeed. I'm kind of stunned - I'd never have thought that cheating on this scale was possible (since obviously, cheating in the playoffs requires collaboration of at least two playoff participants). Even now, I'm hesitant to believe this, although I guess Steven must have conclusive proof. <br /><br />Regarding the possibility of making the tools for checking available: I'm of two minds about this. Although I believe in open-sourcing algorithms and software (more eyes=fewer bugs), you would also have to publish all raw results from the daily challenge. This might allow potential cheaters to spot bugs in the detection algorithm or to "fine-tune" their cheating to stay below the radar.<br /><br />Kind regards,<br />Frank <br />Frank Schmitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01566783688617400197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-41192466387635567322013-10-07T15:00:01.781+01:002013-10-07T15:00:01.781+01:00It's kind of upsetting. I hope Frank was a che...It's kind of upsetting. I hope Frank was a cheater, because I did not see anything wrong with his performance, some other players that have vanished after the announcement of the "No Cheating policy" were obviously cheaters.<br />It make me feel vulnerable as well as when I am going on holidays I don’t have anywhere to test my answers so I answer quickly just by knowing enough of the subject or guessing. Does it mean I might be qualified as a cheater?<br />Anna Onishchuknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-90328993035299976902013-10-07T14:55:48.596+01:002013-10-07T14:55:48.596+01:00Radoslav, I did in fact make that request, but to ...Radoslav, I did in fact make that request, but to no avail.Steven Feuersteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619706770920320550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8677649049588007585.post-7629407826368477832013-10-07T13:42:26.629+01:002013-10-07T13:42:26.629+01:00Steven, have you asked them to return the prizes? ...Steven, have you asked them to return the prizes? They would have an opportunity to show at least a fragment of a moral character.<br />Radoslav Golianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11089830721619663885noreply@blogger.com