Formal Contest Help	    Thu Sep 28 17:14:22 EDT 2006


A formal contest is a contest in which you are provided
with an account and at which problem descriptions are
passed out at the start of the contest.

Normally all contestants run on the same fast computer.
This means that all contestants are subject to the same
load.  There may be differences in terminals assigned to
contestants.  To ensure fairness, terminals are assigned
to contestants at random (e.g., by using dice throws).

Rules for Formal Contests:
----- --- ------ --------

The contest managers will log in for you.  You may or
may not be given an X-Terminal equivalent.  If you are,
you can make more windows using xcsh: see `help
xterminals'.  If not, you must ask the contest managers
to make more windows for you.  Usually in this case all
teams are given the same number of windows to start
with: typically 4.  You will NOT be given any password.

For formal contests you are assigned a location and
account name.  Please type `who am i' to be sure you
have the right account.

In a formal contest your printouts will be brought to
you.  Do NOT try to find the printer.  If a printout has
not been brought to you promptly, ask the contest sup-
port personnel to check the printer.

During a formal contest you may not use web browsers or
electronic communication that is not directly part of
the contest.  You may bring and use any printed matter-
ial you like.  There is a contest command, javahelp, for
on-line Java documentation: see `help java'.  There is
a contest command, stlhelp, for viewing on-line C++
Standard Template Library documentation, if this docu-
mentation is available: see `help c++'.

During a formal contest the alternative submit commands
`make in-submit', `make inout-submit', and `make
solution-submit' are NOT allowed.

A few days or so after the contest ends you will be
given the name and password of your contest account so
you can collect the code you wrote.  At this point the
contest will be reconstituted as an untimed contest,
so you can additionally submit new code to the auto-
judge, though of course it will not count in the already
finished formal contest.



File:		formal_contest
Author:		Bob Walton <walton@deas.harvard.edu>
Date:		See top of file.

The authors have placed this file in the public domain;
they make no warranty and accept no liability for this
file.

RCS Info (may not be true date or author):

    $Author: walton $
    $Date: 2006/09/28 21:15:16 $
    $RCSfile: formal_contest,v $
    $Revision: 1.10 $