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<h1>The International Obfuscated C Code Contest</h1>
<h2>Frequently Asked Questions</h2>
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<h1 id="ioccc-faq-table-of-contents">IOCCC FAQ Table of Contents</h1>
<p>This is FAQ version <strong>29.08 2026-06-20</strong>.</p>
<h2 id="entering-the-ioccc-the-bare-minimum-you-need-to-know">0. <a href="#enter_questions">Entering the IOCCC: the bare minimum you need to know</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 0.0</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#enter">How can I enter the IOCCC?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 0.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#mkiocccentry">What is the <code>mkiocccentry</code> tool, how do I obtain it and how do I use it?</a>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 0.1.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#about_mkiocccentry">What is <code>mkiocccentry(1)</code> in simple terms?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 0.1.2</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#obtaining_mkiocccentry">How do I obtain the latest mkiocccentry toolkit?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 0.1.3</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#compiling_mkiocccentry">How do I compile the mkiocccentry toolkit?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 0.1.4</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#install">How do I install mkiocccentry(1) and related tools?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 0.1.5</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#using_mkiocccentry">How do I use mkiocccentry?</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><strong>Q 0.2</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#platform">What platform should I assume for my submission?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 0.3</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#makefile">What should I put in my submission Makefile?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 0.4</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#remarks">What should I put in the remarks.md file of my submission?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 0.5</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#try_scripts">What should I do with the <code>try.sh</code> and <code>try.alt.sh</code> scripts?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 0.6</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#file_perms">What permissions may my files be and what if I need different permissions?</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="entering-the-ioccc-more-help-and-details">1. <a href="#submitting_help">Entering the IOCCC: more help and details</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 1.0</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#answers_file">How can I avoid re-entering the information to mkiocccentry?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#prog_c">May I use a different source or compiled filename than prog.c or prog?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.2</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#markdown">What is markdown and how does the IOCCC use it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.3</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#mkiocccentry_bugs">How do I report bugs in an <code>mkiocccentry</code> tool?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.4</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#mkiocccentry_test">How can I check if my submission passes tests without having to answer questions?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.5</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#extra-files">What are extra files and how may I include additional files beyond the max allowed?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.6</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#ai">May I use AI, LLM, Virtual coding assistants, or similar tools to write my submission?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.7</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#rule17">What are the details behind Rule 17 - use mkiocccentry?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.8</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#uuid">How can I avoid re-entering my UUID to mkiocccentry?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.9</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#submission_dir">How can I avoid having to move or delete my submission directory for the same workdir?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.10</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#download_submission">Can I download my submission tarball from the submit server?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.11</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#del_submission">Can I delete a submission from the submit server?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.12</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#makefile_details">What are the detailed recommendations for a submission Makefile?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 1.13</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#using_github">May I use GitHub or other services to develop my submission?</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="ioccc-judging-process">2. <a href="#judging_process">IOCCC Judging process</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 2.0</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#questions">What is the best way to ask a question about the IOCCC rules, guideline and tools?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 2.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#feedback">How can I comment or make a suggestion on IOCCC rules, guidelines and tools?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 2.2</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#warnings">Are there any compiler warnings that I should not worry about in my submissions?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 2.3</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#frequent-themes">What types of entries have been frequently submitted to the IOCCC?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 2.4</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#rule_2_broken">How did an entry win the IOCCC that breaks Rule 2 - Size restrictions?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 2.5</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#submissions">How many submissions do the judges receive for a given IOCCC?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 2.6</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#judging_time">How much time does it take to judge the contest?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 2.7</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#judging_rounds">How many judging rounds do you have?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 2.8</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#grand_prize">Why do some IOCCC entries receive the Grand Prize or Best of Show award?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 2.9</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#winners">How are winning IOCCC entries announced?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 2.10</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#lost">Why don’t you publish submissions that do not win?</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="the-mkiocccentry-toolkit-finer-details">3. <a href="#mkiocccentry_details">The mkiocccentry toolkit: finer details</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 3.0</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#txzchk">How can I validate my submission tarball?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 3.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#fnamchk">What is the <code>fnamchk</code> tool?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 3.2</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#chksubmit">How can I validate my submission directory?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 3.3</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#auth_json">What is a <code>.auth.json</code> file?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 3.4</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#info_json">What is a <code>.info.json</code> file?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 3.5</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#author_handle_faq">What is an <code>author handle</code>?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 3.6</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#author_handle_json">What is an <code>author_handle.json</code> file and how are they used?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 3.7</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#find_author_handle">How can I find my author handle?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 3.8</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#entry_id_faq">What is an <code>entry_id</code>?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 3.9</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#entry_json">What is a <code>.entry.json</code> file and how is it used?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 3.10</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#jparse">How can I validate any JSON document?</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="compiling-ioccc-entries">4. <a href="#compiling">Compiling IOCCC entries</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 4.0</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#makefile_rules">What Makefile rules are available to build or clean up IOCCC entries?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 4.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#gmake">What form of make(1) is supported by IOCCC?</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="dependencies-for-some-ioccc-entries">5. <a href="#dependencies">Dependencies for some IOCCC entries</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 5.0</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#X11">How do I compile and run an IOCCC entry that requires X11?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 5.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#SDL">How do I compile and install SDL1 or SDL2 for entries that require it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 5.2</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#ncurses">How do I compile and install ncurses for entries that require it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 5.3</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#sound">How do I compile and run an IOCCC entry that requires sound?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 5.4</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#tcpserver">How do I compile and install tcpserver for entries that require it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 5.5</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#netpbm">How do I compile and install netpbm for entries that require it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 5.6</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#libjpeg">How do I compile and install libjpeg-turbo for entries that require it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 5.7</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#imagemagick">How do I compile and install ImageMagick for entries that require it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 5.8</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#OpenGL">How do I compile and install OpenGL for entries that require it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 5.9</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#zlib">How do I compile and install zlib for IOCCC entries that require it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 5.10</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#ruby">How do I install Ruby for entries that require it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 5.11</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#rake">How do I install rake for entries that require it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 5.12</strong>: <a class="normal" href="curses">How do I compile entries that use ncurses if we only have the old classic curses?</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="problems-compiling-ioccc-entries">6. <a href="#compile_problems">Problems compiling IOCCC entries</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 6.0</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#compile_errors">Why don’t certain IOCCC entries compile and/or run?</a>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 6.1.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#macos">Why do some IOCCC entries fail to compile and/or run under macOS?</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><strong>Q 6.2</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#weverything">Why do Makefiles use -Weverything with clang?</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="running-ioccc-entries">7. <a href="#running_entries">Running IOCCC entries</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 7.0</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#try">What are <code>try.sh</code> and <code>try.alt.sh</code> scripts and why should I use them?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 7.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#sanity">An IOCCC entry messed up my terminal application, how do I fix this?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 7.2</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#unsupported">Why does an IOCCC entry fail to compile and/or run?</a>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 7.2.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#64bit">Why does an IOCCC entry fail to compile and/or run on my 64-bit system?</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><strong>Q 7.3</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#eof">How do I find out how to send interrupt/EOF etc. for entries that require it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 7.4</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#download">How do I download individual winning entries or all winning entries of a given year?</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="changes-made-to-ioccc-entries">8. <a href="#changes">Changes made to IOCCC entries</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 8.0</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#diff">What was changed in some IOCCC entries?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 8.0.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#detailed-diff">How can I see the extended details of what was changed?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 8.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#fgets">Why were some calls to the libc function gets(3) changed to use fgets(3)?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 8.2</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#consistency">Why do some remarks seem inconsistent with the entry?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 8.3</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#orig_c">What is the meaning of the file ending in .orig.c in IOCCC entries?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 8.4</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#alt_code">What are alternate versions and why were they added to some entries?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 8.5</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#main_args">Why was arg count and/or type changed in main() in some older entries?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 8.6</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#files">Why were files added to, removed from or changed in some entries?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 8.7</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#prog_orig_c">What is the original source file?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 8.8</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#renaming_files">Why were some filenames changed?</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="helping-the-ioccc">9. <a href="#help">Helping the IOCCC</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 9.0</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#how_to_help">How can I help the IOCCC?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 9.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#bugs">Is there a list of known bugs and (mis)features of IOCCC entries?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 9.2</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#fix_an_entry">How can I submit a fix to an IOCCC entry?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 9.3</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#pull_request">How do I make a pull request to the GitHub repo?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 9.4</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#report_website_problem">How can I report an IOCCC website problem?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 9.5</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#fix_website">How can I submit a fix to the IOCCC website?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 9.6</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#fix_author">How can I correct or update an IOCCC author’s information?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 9.7</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#fix_link">What should I do if I find a broken or wrong web link?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 9.8</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#supporting_ioccc">How can I support the IOCCC?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 9.9</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#deobfuscated">I deobfuscated some entry code, may I contribute the source?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 9.10</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#reporting_bugs">How do I report a bug in an IOCCC entry?</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="miscellaneous-ioccc">10. <a href="#misc">Miscellaneous IOCCC</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 10.0</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#mirrors">May I mirror the IOCCC website?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#ioccc_copyright">May I use IOCCC content in an article, book, newsletter, or instructional material?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.2</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#first_person">Why do you sometimes use the first person plural?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.3</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#dot_files"> What is the purpose of the <code>.top</code>, <code>.allyear</code>, <code>.year</code> and <code>.path</code> files?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.4</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#terms"> What is the current meaning of the IOCCC terms Author, Entry, and Submission?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.5</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#licence">Am I allowed to use IOCCC content?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.6</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#try_mastodon">What is Mastodon and why does the IOCCC use it?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.7</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#tabstops">How do I set certain tabstops for viewing source code in vi(m)?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.8</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#menus">How do the menus on the website work and what can I do if they don’t work?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.9</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#author_information">How do I find more information about a winning author of an entry?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.10</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#cb">What is this cb tool that is mentioned in the IOCCC?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.11</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#status_json">What do the status.json JSON file indicate?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.12</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#date_range">What is the purpose of the <code>.date-range</code> files?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.13</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#what_fun_challenge">What is a fun challenge?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 10.14</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#solve_fun_challenge">How do I submit a solution to a fun challenge?</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="history-of-the-ioccc">11. <a href="#ioccc_history">History of the IOCCC</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Q 11.0</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#ioccc_start">How did the IOCCC get started?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 11.1</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#missing_years">Why are some years missing IOCCC entries?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 11.2</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#website_history">What is the history of the IOCCC website?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 11.3</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#size_rule_history">How has the Rule 2 size restrictions rule changed over the years?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 11.4</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#great_fork_merge">What is the <strong>Great Fork Merge</strong>?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 11.5</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#bof">What is an IOCCC BOF?</a></li>
<li><strong>Q 11.6</strong>: <a class="normal" href="#explain_IOCCC">I do not understand the IOCCC, can you explain it to me?</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<h1 id="the-ioccc-faq">The IOCCC FAQ</h1>
<hr style="width:50%;text-align:left;margin-left:0">
<hr style="width:50%;text-align:left;margin-left:0">
<section id="enter_questions">
<h2 id="section-0-entering-the-ioccc-the-bare-minimum-you-need-to-know">Section 0: Entering the IOCCC: the bare minimum you need to know</h2>
</section>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<div id="enter">
<div id="step_0">
<div id="step_1">
<div id="step_2">
<div id="register">
<div id="step_3">
<div id="step_4">
<div id="step_5">
<div id="step_6">
<div id="step_7">
<section id="submit">
<h3 id="q-0.0-how-can-i-enter-the-ioccc">Q 0.0: How can I enter the IOCCC?</h3>
</section>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>To submit your code to the IOCCC, <strong>follow the</strong> <a href="quick-start.html">IOCCC Quick Start Guide</a>.</p>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<div id="what_mkiocccentry">
<div id="mkiocccentry">
<div id="mkiocccentry_compile">
<section id="compile_mkiocccentry">
<h3 id="q-0.1-what-is-the-mkiocccentry-tool-how-do-i-obtain-it-and-how-do-i-use-it">Q 0.1: What is the <code>mkiocccentry</code> tool, how do I obtain it and how do I use it?</h3>
</section>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<section id="mkiocccentry_repo">
<h4 id="mkiocccentry-repo">mkiocccentry repo</h4>
</section>
<p>This toolkit is from the <a href="https://github.com/ioccc-src/mkiocccentry">mkiocccentry
repo</a> and it is <strong>required</strong> that you
use it to package your submission. Not doing so puts you at a great risk of
violating the <a href="next/rules.html">Rules</a> and in particular
<a href="next/rules.html#rule17-mkiocccentry">Rule 17 - Use mkiocccentry</a>.</p>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<section id="about_mkiocccentry">
<h4 id="q-0.1.1-what-is-mkiocccentry-in-simple-terms">Q 0.1.1: What is <code>mkiocccentry</code> in simple terms?</h4>
</section>
<p>The <code>mkiocccentry</code> tool first gathers your source
code, your Makefile, your remarks, any other data files you wish to provide (up
to a maximum, including the mandatory files, defined in
<a href="https://github.com/ioccc-src/mkiocccentry/blob/master/soup/limit_ioccc.h">limit_ioccc.h</a>
as <code>MAX_FILE_COUNT</code>) and other information about your submission,
information about the author (or authors), and then it will give you a list of
subdirectories, if any, that will be made, and files that will be copied to the
submission directory. It will list files and directories that it will (for
various reasons) not create as well, asking you to confirm these things are all
okay. Some things are strictly forbidden (such as a directory tree too deep) and
it will tell you about these as well, so you can fix it.</p>
<p>Assuming you agree to the list of directories and files, it will make the
directories (if necessary) and copy the files. It will then switch to the
submission directory, run <code>make clobber</code> and then scan the directory again,
looking for mismatches. If no errors are detected it will list everything to you
again, asking you to confirm it is good.</p>
<p>If everything is OK, it will write the required <code>.auth.json</code> and <code>.info.json</code>
and then run <code>chksubmit(1)</code> on the directory. If all is OK it will create the
tarball. After the tarball is formed, it will run <code>txzchk(1)</code> on it, which runs
<code>fnamchk(1)</code>. If all is OK, your submission tarball should be good to go.</p>
<p>Please see
FAQ on “<a href="#txzchk">txzchk</a>”,
the
FAQ on “<a href="#fnamchk">fnamchk</a>”
and the
FAQ on “<a href="#chksubmit">chksubmit</a>”
for more information on these important tools, if you want more information.</p>
<p>See the
FAQ on “<a href="#submit">how to upload you submission</a>”
for details on how to register for the IOCCC, the
FAQ on “<a href="#obtaining_mkiocccentry">obtaining the latest mkiocccentry toolkit</a>”
for details on obtaining the latest release, the
FAQ on “<a href="#compiling_mkiocccentry">compiling the mkiocccentry toolkit</a>”
for details on compiling and the
FAQ on “<a href="#using_mkiocccentry">using mkiocccentry</a>”
for more details.</p>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<section id="obtaining_mkiocccentry">
<h4 id="q-0.1.2-how-do-i-obtain-the-latest-mkiocccentry-toolkit">Q 0.1.2: How do I obtain the latest mkiocccentry toolkit?</h4>
</section>
<p>Before you use it, make <strong>SURE</strong> you have the most recent version. If you do not
have an mkiocccentry tool directory:</p>
<pre><code> cd some_directory
git clone git@github.com:ioccc-src/mkiocccentry.git
cd mkiocccentry</code></pre>
<p>If you already have an mkiocccentry tool directory:</p>
<pre><code> cd mkiocccentry
git fetch --all --tags
git rebase</code></pre>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<section id="compiling_mkiocccentry">
<h4 id="q-0.1.3-how-do-i-compile-the-mkiocccentry-toolkit">Q 0.1.3: How do I compile the mkiocccentry toolkit?</h4>
</section>
<p>Once you’ve obtained the <strong>LATEST</strong> version (see the
FAQ on “<a href="#obtaining_mkiocccentry">obtaining the latest mkiocccentry toolkit</a>”
to make sure of this), change to the <code>mkiocccentry</code> directory and then run:</p>
<pre><code> make clobber all test</code></pre>
<p>to compile all the tools and run the test-suite.</p>
<p>You do not have to run the test-suite but if you wish to make sure all is in
order you may. If you wish to skip that:</p>
<pre><code> make clobber all</code></pre>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<section id="install">
<h3 id="q-0.1.4-how-do-i-install-mkiocccentry1-and-related-tools">Q 0.1.4: How do I install mkiocccentry(1) and related tools?</h3>
</section>
<p>After obtaining the toolkit (see the
FAQ on “<a href="#obtaining_mkiocccentry">obtaining the latest mkiocccentry toolkit</a>”)
and compiling the tools (see the
FAQ on “<a href="#compiling_mkiocccentry">compiling mkiocccentry</a>”
above) run as either <code>sudo(8)</code> or root <code>make install</code>:</p>
<pre><code> # if you use sudo(8):
sudo make install
# as root:
make install</code></pre>
<p>If everything goes well you should be able to run <code>mkiocccentry(1)</code>,
<code>txzchk(1)</code>, <code>chksubmit(1)</code> and all the other installed tools from any directory,
and the tools that rely on other tools will be able to find those required tools
from any directory too.</p>
<p>Some tools like <code>bug_report.sh</code> and <code>hostchk.sh</code> are not meant to be installed
and will not work from any directory, however, nor should they be installed
(some previously were but this was fixed post IOCCC28 and prior to IOCCC29).</p>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<section id="using_mkiocccentry">
<h4 id="q-0.1.5-how-do-i-use-mkiocccentry">Q 0.1.5: How do I use mkiocccentry?</h4>
</section>
<p>Once you have registered, you will need to package your submission with the
<code>mkiocccentry</code> tool. If you have not already obtained the toolkit, see the
FAQ on “<a href="#obtaining_mkiocccentry">obtaining the most recent mkiocccentry
toolkit</a>”,
the
FAQ on “<a href="#compiling_mkiocccentry">compiling mkiocccentry</a>”
and the
FAQ on “<a href="#installing">installing the mkiocccentry tools</a>”
if you have not already done so.</p>
<p>The below details discuss this very important tool. As it is complicated we will
explain how to use this tool. If you want to know what it is in simpler terms,
see the
FAQ on “<a href="#about_mkiocccentry">what mkiocccentry is</a>”.</p>
<p>As the <a href="next/guidelines.html">Guidelines</a> state, the synopsis is:</p>
<pre><code> mkiocccentry [options] workdir topdir</code></pre>
<p>… where <code>workdir</code> is a directory that will be used to build the submission
tarball and <code>topdir</code> is the directory which has your files, including the
mandatory <code>prog.c</code>, <code>Makefile</code> and <code>remarks.md</code>.</p>
<p>The <code>workdir</code> <strong>MUST</strong> already exist, as a directory, and it is an error if it
is not a directory that can be written to. In <strong>this</strong> directory your <strong>submission
directory</strong> will be created, with the name based on your IOCCC registration
username, which is <strong>in the form of a UUID</strong>, and submission number along with
the timestamp; see the <a href="next/rules.html">rules</a> for more details on this, and in
particular
<a href="next/rules.html#rule17-mkiocccentry">Rule 17 - Use mkiocccentry</a>.</p>
<p><strong>IMPORTANT NOTE</strong>: the tools that require other tools, <code>mkiocccentry(1)</code> and
<code>txzchk(1)</code>, will, as of version <code>2.0.2 2025-03-11</code>, search under <code>$PATH</code>. If
you have an earlier version and you have not installed the tools and run the
tools from outside the repo directory, you will have to use the options to the
tools to set the path to the required tools.</p>
<p>If the <strong><em>subdirectory</em> in the <em>work directory</em></strong> (based on your submit ID and
slot number) already exists, you will have to move it, remove it or otherwise
specify a different work directory (<strong>NOT</strong> the subdirectory), as it needs to be
empty.</p>
<p>This <em>subdirectory is where your directories will be made and where your files
will be <strong>copied</strong> to</em>. Your <em>submission tarball</em> (which you will upload to the
submit server) that <code>txzchk(1)</code> will validate <em>will be placed in the <strong>work
directory</strong></em>, and <strong>its <em>contents</em> will be the <em>subdirectory</em> with your
submission’s files</strong>. The <code>mkiocccentry(1)</code> tool will also ask you for
information about your submission <em>as well as author details</em> (that will only be
looked at if the submission wins), run some tests and run a number of other
tools, as mentioned above, and as described in the “<a href="#mkiocccentry_details">finer
details</a>” section.</p>
<p><strong>PLEASE NOTE</strong>: if your submission directory (or topdir) has certain errors the
mkiocccentry tool will exit with a fatal error, asking you to fix the problem
first.</p>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<div id="SUS">
<div id="platform">
<section id="portability">
<h3 id="q-0.2-what-platform-should-i-assume-for-my-submission">Q 0.2: What platform should I assume for my submission?</h3>
</section>
</div>
</div>
<p>Your submission must be able be compiled with <strong>clang</strong> or <strong>gcc</strong> and run under at least one flavor of a UNIX
system that conforms to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_UNIX_Specification">SUS</a>,
otherwise known as the <a href="https://unix.org/version4/overview.html">The Single UNIX Specification Version 4</a>.
or <a href="https://unix.org/online.html">later SUS</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://unix.org/version4/overview.html">The Single UNIX Specification Version 4</a> includes
<a href="https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699909599/toc.pdf">X/Open Curses, Issue 7</a>, so your
submission is free to use “<strong>curses</strong>” (i.e., the <code>curses</code> library and the <code>curses.h</code> include file).
Your entry is also free to use
<a href="https://invisible-island.net/ncurses/announce.html">ncurses</a>
(i.e., the <code>ncurses</code> library and the <code>ncurses.h</code> include file).</p>
<p>See also the
FAQ on “<a href="#ncurses">compile and install ncurses</a>”.</p>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<div id="makefile">
<section id="submission_makefile">
<h3 id="q-0.3-what-should-i-put-in-my-submission-makefile">Q 0.3: What should I put in my submission Makefile?</h3>
</section>
</div>
<p>We recommend starting with the sample
(renamed as <code>Makefile</code> of course) as a starting point for your
entry’s <code>Makefile</code>:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://github.com/ioccc-src/winner/blob/master/next/Makefile.example">view example Makefile</a></li>
<li><a href="next/Makefile.example">Makefile.example</a></li>
</ul>
<p>The <code>Makefile</code> is a file used by the <code>make(1)</code> command that contains
rules and UNIX shell-style commands.</p>
<p>The first and default rule should be the <code>all</code> rule and should build your
entry’s executable file. There are other rules that should be present in your
Makefile, and which mkiocccentry attempts to find; see below.</p>
<p>If your entry depends on a particular source file name during compilation or execution,
your <code>Makefile</code> should copy <code>prog.c</code> into the desired filename. See the
FAQ on “<a href="#prog_c">source and compiled filenames</a>”
for an example.</p>
<p>If you are not familiar <code>Makefile</code>s, you might consider the following tutorials:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/make.html#Introduction">GNU make</a></li>
<li><a href="https://opensource.com/article/18/8/what-how-makefile">What is a Makefile and how does it work?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://makefiletutorial.com">Learn Makefiles</a></li>
</ul>
<p>For the <code>make(1)</code> <em>connoisseur</em>: As of 2023, IOCCC judges use <a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/make/">GNU
make compatible</a> <code>make(1)</code>
command that is compatible with GNU Make version 3.81. Your Makefile should be
compatible with this; see the
FAQ on “<a href="#gmake">Makefile compatibility</a>”
for more details and help.</p>
<h4 id="expected-make-rules">Expected <code>make</code> rules:</h4>
<p>The following rules should exist in your Makefile:</p>
<ul>
<li><code>all</code>
<ul>
<li>This rule should be the first rule and it should compile your submission.</li>
</ul></li>
<li><code>clean</code>
<ul>
<li>This rule should remove any intermediate build files, for example <code>.o</code>
files or other intermediate build files. It should <strong>NOT</strong> remove compiled
programs (see <code>clobber</code> below).</li>
</ul></li>
<li><code>clobber</code>
<ul>
<li>This rule should restore the original state of the submission’s directory.
It should depend on the <code>clean</code> rule and it should remove the compiled
program(s), clean up any files made by the program etc.</li>
</ul></li>
<li><code>try</code>
<ul>
<li>run the program in a way you suggest. If you use the <code>try.sh</code> script
system, which we do like, you can have this rule invoke the script
(<code>./try.sh</code>). See the
FAQ on the “<a href="#try_scripts">try.sh scripts system</a>”
for more details.</li>
</ul></li>
</ul>
<p>Although the <code>mkiocccentry(1)</code> tool only checks for those rules, the most up to
date
<code>Makefile.example</code>
does have other rules like <code>everything</code> and <code>alt</code>, and we encourage you to use
the one linked to above.</p>
<p>See also the
FAQ on “<a href="#makefile_details">detailed Makefile recommendations</a>”
for more details.</p>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<div id="remarks_md">
<div id="remarks">
<section id="readme">
<h3 id="q-0.4-what-should-i-put-in-the-remarks.md-file-of-my-submission">Q 0.4: What should I put in the remarks.md file of my submission?</h3>
</section>
</div>
</div>
<p><strong>PLEASE</strong> look at the template remarks.md to give you a better idea of how
it should be formed, as it has some instructions you should follow:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://github.com/ioccc-src/winner/blob/master/next/remarks.md">view template remarks.md</a></li>
<li><a href="next/remarks.md">remarks.md template</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>PLEASE</strong> pay especial attention to the instructions, including the <a href="markdown.html">IOCCC
markdown guidelines</a>. You will observe that it links back to this
FAQ as to what you should or should not say.</p>
<p>Next, while you may put in as much or as little as you wish into your entry’s
<code>remarks.md</code> file, we do have few important suggestions:</p>
<p>We recommend that you explain how to use your submission. Explain the
command line (if any command line options and arguments are used)
and any input or actions if applicable.</p>
<p>We highly recommend that you explain why you think your submission is
well obfuscated.</p>
<p>For those submissions that win the IOCCC, we often use much of text from the
<code>remarks.md</code> file in the <em>Author’s remarks</em> section of the <code>index.html</code> file.
For this reason, a well written <code>remarks.md</code> file is considered a plus.</p>
<p>While not required, consider adding bit of humor to your <code>remarks.md</code>
as most people who are not humor impaired, as well as the IOCCC judges (who
might or might not be humour impaired :-) ), appreciate the opportunity for a
fun read as well as a chuckle or two.</p>
<h4 id="what-helps">What helps:</h4>
<ul>
<li>explaining what your entry does.</li>
<li>how to entice it to do what it is supposed to do.</li>
<li>what obfuscations are used.</li>
<li>what are the limitations of your entry in respect of portability and/or input data.</li>
<li>how it works (if you are really condescending).</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="what-does-not-help">What does not help:</h4>
<ul>
<li>admitting that your entry is not very obfuscated (you see, the contest is
called the <strong>IOCCC</strong>, not the <strong>INVOCCC</strong> :-) ); but even if you do not admit
it, not very obfuscated entries have a minuscule chance to win (although
<a href="2000/tomx/index.html">2000/tomx</a> is a notable counterexample).</li>
<li>mentioning your name or any identifying information in the remark section (or
in the C code for that matter) - we like to be unbiased during the judging
rounds; we look at the author name only if an entry wins. See the
<a href="next/guidelines.html">guidelines</a> <strong>AND</strong> <a href="next/rules.html">rules</a> if this is not clear!</li>
<li>leaving the remark section empty (which would also indicate that you did not
use <code>mkiocccentry(1)</code>, as it requires it to not be of size 0, though if you only
include whitespace you would still be violating
<a href="next/rules.html#rule17-mkiocccentry">Rule 17 - Use mkiocccentry</a>).</li>
</ul>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<section id="try_scripts">
<h3 id="q-0.5-what-should-i-do-with-the-try.sh-and-try.alt.sh-scripts">Q 0.5: What should I do with the <code>try.sh</code> and <code>try.alt.sh</code> scripts?</h3>
</section>
<p>If your submission has more than one use, or if you have interesting ways to
invoke your program, perhaps using other commonly installed tools (or tools
included in your submission), it can be helpful to include a <code>try.sh</code> script:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://github.com/ioccc-src/winner/blob/master/next/try.sh">view example try.sh</a></li>
<li><a href="next/try.sh">download example try.sh</a></li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/ioccc-src/winner/blob/master/next/try.alt.sh">view example try.alt.sh</a></li>
<li><a href="next/try.alt.sh">download example try.alt.sh</a></li>
</ul>
<p>The template <code>try.sh</code> script can be used as a starting point, or you can look at
some of the others in past winning entries, to get some ideas.</p>
<p>It is not detrimental to your chances of winning if you do not include one as
not all submissions can make use of them. Nevertheless, it is helpful to include
ways to use your program and as submitted Makefiles should have a <code>try</code> rule, if
you have creative ways this can be a bonus. It does not mean that a program that
cannot be used with other programs is less interesting or less likely to win,
but we do enjoy interesting and creative uses of submissions.</p>
<p>If you have alternate code that you are including, then you can use the
<code>try.alt.sh</code> template as well.</p>
<p>We recommend that you include the use of these scripts in the <code>try</code> rule in the
example Makefile that you modify for your submission. See the
FAQ on “<a href="#makefile">submission Makefiles</a>”.</p>
<p>Jump to: <a href="#">top</a></p>
<section id="file_perms">
<h3 id="q-0.6-what-permissions-may-my-files-be-and-what-if-i-need-different-permissions">Q 0.6: What permissions may my files be and what if I need different permissions?</h3>
</section>
<p>Files in your submission tarball <strong>MUST</strong> be
specific permissions. In particular: directories <strong>MUST</strong> be <code>drwxr-xr-x</code> (i.e.
<code>0755</code>), the optional files, files ending with <code>.sh</code>, if provided, <strong>MUST</strong> be
<code>-r-xr-xr-x</code> (i.e., mode <code>0555</code>) and all other files <strong>MUST</strong> be <code>-r--r--r--</code> (i.e.
<code>0444</code>).</p>
<p>If you need a file to be executable, say a script, then make sure you do so in
the appropriate place in your Makefile. See the
FAQ on “<a href="#makefile">submission Makefile</a>”
for more details.</p>
<p>See the
FAQ on “<a href="#rule17">Rule 17</a>”
and