I am from India. I have been doing competitive programming for 3 years, though I started on Codeforces late. I have a YouTube channel where I upload post-contest discussions. Channel Link. I have realized that there is a lot of cheating going on, with some YouTube creators uploading solutions during the contests and Telegram channels selling solutions.

I have observed that most of this cheating is happening in India. I think this is because they believe that higher ratings will increase their chances of getting their resumes shortlisted.

I don't care about those who are selling the solutions on Telegram. But I want to ask those who buy from them: What do you gain by doing it? No interviewer will check your ratings on your resume. No one has time to click on every CodeChef/Codeforces/AtCoder profile of every candidate to check their rating. Why are you buying it then? To flaunt your ratings in your friend circle? I have never heard of anything like a "Rating Cap" for selecting candidates.

As for the YouTube creators, they undermine the competition, and I despise it when my rating could have increased more, but now after so many have solved it, I will get fewer points. What do you gain by sharing your code on YouTube? Who are you helping? Getting some views is nice, but a 10-15-second video will not even give you enough watch time to make even 1 rupee.

To me, someone who has earned their rating through hard work holds more value than an individual who reached their rating by purchasing solutions. I anticipate receiving criticism for expressing these views, but I'm at a loss for what else to do. What's worse is that no one is talking about it or spreading awareness to deter it. If no one tells my juniors to stop, they might think it's normal to cheat to increase their rating. The prevalence of cheating, especially on CodeChef, significantly dampens my motivation.

I find myself questioning why CodeChef struggles with detecting plagiarism. Why is there no "hacking" phase on CodeChef? I urge CodeChef to enhance its plagiarism detection methods and take action against cheating. Failure to address this issue risks tarnishing the platform's reputation entirely. I sent a mail to CodeChef with screenshots of a few candidate's codes and I did not receive any reply from them.

Recently I switched from VS Code to sublime text for competitive programming (as VS Code as too slow for me). However, I had difficulty in adding date and time in snippets.

When I see codes of good competitive programmers they have at the top written :

/*
*    Author: username
*    Created: Monday, 19.02.2024 01:03 PM (the timestamp)
*/

So I wanted to do the same thing, but I could not find any good answers online on how to do it.

Finally, I added it using a custom plugin and file handling in python to make a global variable $CURRENT_DATETIME and used it in the snippet.

I also created a video tutorial on it.You can check this video tutorial here: https://youtu.be/8Mzp16ZpPBc?si=CZhXIfk8j5vVI7FD&t=512

Playlist link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUpzFxGnjRcvRupvAGyUC1DUhVGM_C-fa

Hey Codeforces community!

I'm thrilled to announce the launch of my new YouTube playlist dedicated to graph algorithms for competitive programming. As a passionate competitive programmer myself, I understand the importance of mastering graph algorithms, and I'm excited to share my knowledge with all of you.

For each topic, I've curated a set of problems from the awesome CSES Problem Set, which I believe will help solidify your understanding.

I'm committed to making this playlist as helpful and informative as possible, and I value your feedback. If you have any suggestions for topics you'd like to see covered or specific problems you'd like me to include, please let me know in the comments below (or on the youtube channel videos). Your input will help shape the direction of the playlist and ensure that it meets the needs of the community.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my new YouTube playlist. I hope you're as excited about it as I am! Be sure to subscribe to my channel to stay updated on new videos, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or suggestions. Let's embark on this learning journey together and level up our graph algorithm skills!

I'm excited to share a tool I've created to help visualize and solve interval-related problems. Check it out here: https://intervals-visualiser.vercel.app/

What is the Intervals Visualizer?

The Intervals Visualizer is a web application that allows you to input intervals and see them visually on the screen. It's a handy tool for tackling problems involving intervals, whether you're working on mathematical exercises, programming challenges, or any other scenario where visualizing intervals is beneficial.

How to Use the Intervals Visualizer

Visit the Intervals Visualizer website. Enter your intervals in the provided text area. Each interval should be on a new line, with start and end values separated by a space. Watch as the intervals are dynamically displayed on the screen, giving you a clear visual representation of their positions and lengths.

Why Use the Intervals Visualizer?

Visualization: Easily understand the distribution and relationship between intervals. Quick Feedback: Instantly see the impact of changes to your interval inputs. Educational: Ideal for learning about intervals and solving related problems. Whether you're a student studying math, a programmer tackling coding challenges, or anyone dealing with interval-related problems, the Intervals Visualizer can be a valuable asset.

Give it a try and let me know what you think! Intervals Visualizer

Happy interval visualizing!

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