A Competition for Unreadable Code?

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  • čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
  • Let's explore the winning submissions of The International Obfuscated C Code contest! Held every year, the IOCCC is a celebration of the syntactical quirks and unique features of C, encouraging submitters to create the most unreadable and unique code possible.
    In this video, you'll also learn how to quickly deobfuscate IOCCC submissions using various reverse-engineering tricks, turning the indecipherable syntax into something more human-understandable.
    ---
    IOCCC website: www.ioccc.org/
    ---
    Timestamps:
    00:00 Unique C features
    03:05 Demangling a Death Star
    06:45 A Reverse Engineer's Secret Weapon
    07:59 Crazy Time
    09:44 An interesting Grid
    ---
    LaurieWired Socials:
    linktr.ee/lauriewired
    ---
    Intro Music Courtesy of Analog Summer:
    • Velocity Rush by Analo...
  • Věda a technologie

Komentáře • 352

  • @OhhCrapGuy
    @OhhCrapGuy Před 2 měsíci +1101

    I'm a little sad she didn't mention the most coveted prize in the contest, "Best Abuse of the Rules", usually awarded when someone finds a way to so horrifically abuse the rules that they have to be changed going forward.
    In 1994, "smr" submitted the smallest self-reproducing program, a program that, when executed, outputs it's own source code.
    He achieved this by creating a source file, the only source file in the submission, which was 0 bytes long. Exactly 0 bytes. It was empty.
    However, due to clever abuse of the Makefile, the compiler still output an executable. An empty one. What did it do? Nothing. It just instantly exited.
    But it's output of absolutely nothing was technically all of his source code.

    • @kxmode
      @kxmode Před 2 měsíci +37

      If Seinfeld was a programmer

    • @OhhCrapGuy
      @OhhCrapGuy Před 2 měsíci +54

      @@kxmode not entirely sure how this implicates smr in being weirdly into concerningly young teenager girls, but sure, alright.

    • @girlswithgames
      @girlswithgames Před 2 měsíci +2

      do you have a link to this? would love to know what he did in the makefile lol

    • @SDRicky
      @SDRicky Před 2 měsíci +1

      Her voice is sweeter than honey 🍯.

    • @kxmode
      @kxmode Před 2 měsíci +27

      @@OhhCrapGuy Seinfield was known for episodes about nothing.

  • @ersetzbar.
    @ersetzbar. Před 2 měsíci +1210

    I had a coworker who did a novel way of sorting his code... he ordered them by string length, making his code look like a christmas tree... in production

    • @mountainsmakemehorny
      @mountainsmakemehorny Před 2 měsíci +8

      Did it look pretty?

    • @EpicNicks
      @EpicNicks Před 2 měsíci

      @@mountainsmakemehorny asking the important questions

    • @liquidsonly
      @liquidsonly Před 2 měsíci +59

      I approve.

    • @denilsonwerling1660
      @denilsonwerling1660 Před 2 měsíci +32

      This is so funny, definitely going to mention it to my coworkers. It seems coding that sort of program, is the right order to deliver the joke!

    • @vizualyse
      @vizualyse Před 2 měsíci +41

      One could say, your coworker did it in a "Noël" way...

  • @TomS699
    @TomS699 Před 2 měsíci +179

    My college professor won this 2 times. He loved talking about it

    • @ammdres
      @ammdres Před měsícem

      Do you have the links to his submissions? I would love to see them

    • @plaintext7288
      @plaintext7288 Před měsícem +1

      @ammdres Me too

    • @ninocraft1
      @ninocraft1 Před měsícem +7

      i would also boast about this, what an achievement 😂❤

  • @soyasuki4531
    @soyasuki4531 Před 2 měsíci +655

    "Obfuscated Code"
    -
    Or as my predecessor called it "Production Code".

  • @TheKhalamar
    @TheKhalamar Před 2 měsíci +136

    They have the opposite contest for Perl. The goal is to write code that people can actually understand.

    • @everyhandletaken
      @everyhandletaken Před měsícem +23

      It's been running 30 years & still yet to have a winner? 😅

    • @victotronics
      @victotronics Před měsícem +2

      Oooo Burn!

    • @Yeyeyatetete-sj2wz
      @Yeyeyatetete-sj2wz Před 11 dny +5

      I remember someone once said that Perl is unique in that it's just as readable before and after encryption.

  • @astropgn
    @astropgn Před 2 měsíci +208

    Oh, I didn't know I could submit all of my code to the IOCCC. My files look so bad, I am probably a great contender.

  • @aniksamiurrahman6365
    @aniksamiurrahman6365 Před 2 měsíci +284

    From now onward, I'll end of my main() functions as "piss out".

  • @ares395
    @ares395 Před měsícem +61

    The aesthetic of this video reminds me of some 2000s computer gaming news etc. program that you randomly stumble upon while watching TV and never find it again.

    • @tritoner1221
      @tritoner1221 Před měsícem +11

      The intro graphic is from Serial Experiments Lain. The general presentation of the video is also reminiscent of the show's unique style.

    • @jnharton
      @jnharton Před měsícem +2

      It's literally imitating the interface from Mac OS 8, 9.

    • @ares395
      @ares395 Před měsícem +4

      @@jnharton Bold of you to assume I've ever seen Mac OS 8, 9.

    • @zerron2156
      @zerron2156 Před 21 dnem

      ​@@ares395Quite bold indeed

  • @MrBarberousse
    @MrBarberousse Před 2 měsíci +41

    The creator of Perl, Larry Wall won 2 prizes in the IOCCC. His initials are LW just like Laurie Wired. Coincidence? Who knows!

    • @Turalcar
      @Turalcar Před měsícem

      Did you ever see them in the same room?

  • @MrStarTraveler
    @MrStarTraveler Před 2 měsíci +46

    The "peace out;" got me rolling on the floor! XD

    • @mohammedgoder
      @mohammedgoder Před 2 měsíci +8

      #include "cstdio"
      #define ever (;;)
      int main() {
      for ever printf("no. just no.");
      }

    • @MrStarTraveler
      @MrStarTraveler Před 2 měsíci

      @@mohammedgoder Rofl 🤣

  • @ayonsamajder
    @ayonsamajder Před 2 měsíci +52

    indeed programming is an art

  • @kadse417
    @kadse417 Před 2 měsíci +145

    Just write it in C++ - obfuscation enough.

  • @john.dough.
    @john.dough. Před 2 měsíci +54

    I love the aesthetic of your videos, combined with your clear expertise and knowledge. Thanks for sharing! :]

    • @vicsar
      @vicsar Před 2 měsíci +4

      Yeah, no doubt. Do what you enjoy, for sure. Respect!

    • @fios4528
      @fios4528 Před 2 měsíci +4

      I'm really curious how much time the set design took

  • @kiwi84
    @kiwi84 Před měsícem +4

    I’ve been falling out of computer science for a while now cause of college burnout but your videos have relit my computer science flame! Its crazy the difference that good presentation and teaching can make. Keep up the great work 😃

  • @trevorkirby3781
    @trevorkirby3781 Před 2 měsíci +4

    Glad to see the obfuscated c competition is still going. My favourite was always the love letter exchange.

  • @fios4528
    @fios4528 Před 2 měsíci +21

    I'm genuinely floored by the production quality of these videos and your ability to communicate so effectively

  • @demolazer
    @demolazer Před 6 dny +1

    When asked why you are coding something, 'Because I CAN' is an acceptable answer .

  • @joseph-montanez
    @joseph-montanez Před 2 měsíci +4

    "This makes C a great candidate for creating some really unreadable code" - Flashbacks of Coldfusion from Adobe

  • @Scott-SUP
    @Scott-SUP Před 2 měsíci +5

    Hey Laurie, your exploration of unreadable code is fascinating! Keep inspiring us with your insights and discoveries. 🚀

  • @internetplumber
    @internetplumber Před 2 měsíci +8

    Hah, good to see this, I was thinking of the IOCCC whilst watching the Asuka Roasts video the other day...

  • @Mustachioed_Mollusk
    @Mustachioed_Mollusk Před měsícem

    Im in love, seems like there are so many high quality channels lately!

  • @brawldude2656
    @brawldude2656 Před měsícem +1

    I'm in love with this competition

  • @agg5324
    @agg5324 Před měsícem +2

    I love the vibe of this channel

  • @merthyr1831
    @merthyr1831 Před 23 dny

    The production quality you've got going on is insane. love watching your vids!

  • @Guidoev2
    @Guidoev2 Před měsícem

    I've only watched the first 30 secs of your video and I'm already convinced you deserve more views and subscribers than you already get!! Just love the aesthethics and the vibe!!

  • @Kris-qn4bn
    @Kris-qn4bn Před 2 měsíci

    Amazing video idea, with amazing video quality! Thank you for your work!

  • @hekero
    @hekero Před měsícem

    I LOOOOVE the channel graphics and branding. Awesome!

  • @the-pink-hacker
    @the-pink-hacker Před 6 dny

    Your channel has the vibes of Bill Nye but computer science themed instead. Very unique and love it!

  • @danielpintard7382
    @danielpintard7382 Před 2 měsíci +7

    obsessed with the lain aesthetic, one of my favorite anime of all time and was a catalyst in developing my interest in computer science

  • @dIancaster
    @dIancaster Před 15 dny

    Your videos are such a pleasure to watch.

  • @maxmustermann5590
    @maxmustermann5590 Před měsícem

    How have I never found this channel before. Love the content!!

  • @delibellus
    @delibellus Před 2 měsíci +2

    Awesome content as always!

  • @mytechnotalent
    @mytechnotalent Před 2 měsíci

    It is interesting how the macro looks so much more readable after you reformatted w/o \. Nice Job Laurie.

  • @svenvandevelde1
    @svenvandevelde1 Před 2 měsíci

    Thank you for sharing this interesting subject.

  • @PirateDion
    @PirateDion Před měsícem

    What a odd gem to find for a subject I know little about but I'm interested in learning. You made a video of code compelling enough to watch with a nice thematic style of old school computer interfacing.
    Looking forward to more. Subscribed :).

  • @kristenmgr
    @kristenmgr Před 2 měsíci +2

    That intro was the final straw !!!
    I'm subscribing !!!

  • @DavidLindes
    @DavidLindes Před 2 měsíci

    Ahh, chongo strikes again!
    (Landon Curt Noll, usual username chongo, one of the founders of this, is someone I used to work with. Fun guy to interact with. And he did good by creating this, IMHO.)
    Thanks for exploring it a bit and sharing it with new audiences!

  • @MrBoko1234
    @MrBoko1234 Před 2 měsíci +2

    the gameplay at the end caught me off guard lmao, great vid

    • @Slycooper2456
      @Slycooper2456 Před 2 měsíci

      She streamed Burnout Paradise last Saturday it has so many hilarious moments, its on her Twitch channel.

  • @owlmanac
    @owlmanac Před 11 dny

    I did not expect to get flashbanged with lain references in my 2024

  • @AccurateBurn
    @AccurateBurn Před 2 měsíci

    great video laurie, super interesting topic

  • @willitine
    @willitine Před 2 měsíci +1

    Hi Laurie. Wow I love how you popped out from opening a app on the desktop! That’s pretty cool. For whatever reason the theme of you speaking like that in a pc window reminds me of Back to the Future The Ride when I was little. Awesome vibes! Anyhow interesting video. I’m gonna watch it now. Hope you are having a great day.

  • @ammdres
    @ammdres Před měsícem

    I love so much the style of your videoss and also your setup

  • @KarlaKloppstock
    @KarlaKloppstock Před 2 měsíci

    This is awesome, thanks Laurie! Good thing that one can make C code unreadable, while for few other languages that's the default.

  • @shanehebert396
    @shanehebert396 Před 2 měsíci

    I worked with a guy who won in one of the IOCCC categories way back in the day.

  • @BurstingVeins1
    @BurstingVeins1 Před 2 měsíci

    I never realized that doing code in that way could be a thing, but then just looking at that code is driving my hyper efficient coding OCD insane.

  • @plaidchuck
    @plaidchuck Před měsícem +2

    Hey Laurie based on your LinkedIn you've only been out of school a few years yet have some insane comp sci knowledge. Aside from internships and your current role how much experience did you have with code/computers before going to college? Did you learn the bulk that you know from college. Just an old head looking to get into programming. Teach us young grasshopper!

  • @toxidron2880
    @toxidron2880 Před 24 dny

    Love the aesthetics of your videos 😎

  • @052Ryder
    @052Ryder Před měsícem +1

    I legit came across live game code that did the following:
    #define f*** return
    #define sh** ;
    It was a cpp file that contained many methods returning pointers to 'this'. Fun times.
    P.S. You are a gift to the engineering world Laurie

  • @emmettdja
    @emmettdja Před měsícem +1

    that clock program was insane

  • @saikat93ify
    @saikat93ify Před měsícem

    Wow, great video. I learnt something new. I participate in contests avidly and did not know about this.

  • @andymitchell2146
    @andymitchell2146 Před měsícem

    I've been training for this all my life without knowing!

  • @patrick1020000
    @patrick1020000 Před 2 měsíci +2

    The Underhanded C Competition is also interesting, though it looks like it is no longer held

  • @stacksmasherninja7266
    @stacksmasherninja7266 Před 2 měsíci

    these were great examples! if you wish to continue this series and want to take a look at more submissions, I highly recommend Nicholas Carlni's submission for tic tac toe!
    a video on obfuscating your code to look cool would also be great :)
    super happy to see ioccc here

  • @henrycgs
    @henrycgs Před měsícem

    I remember having loads of fun with the preprocessor back in the day. I made a header file that turned C extremely verbose and told a friend that was just how it looked like

  • @OneEyedJack1970
    @OneEyedJack1970 Před 2 měsíci +3

    I almost lost my mind trying to decipher what in the hell temple of apshai was doing. This was back when I was 15 or 16 and trying to transfer my copy from cassette to disk. I got most of it to disk, but still had to load the fonts and levels from the tape drive.

  • @LutzHerting
    @LutzHerting Před měsícem +2

    Contest for "The most unreadable C code"? Coming up next: Contest for "The most unhealthy poison", followed by "The most unbreathable liquid".

  • @ing32
    @ing32 Před měsícem

    love the quality!

  • @victotronics
    @victotronics Před měsícem

    Finally some respect for bad coding!
    No seriously, I've been following this for decades. It's mindblowing.

  • @jeffandonuts3945
    @jeffandonuts3945 Před měsícem

    F-ing wonderful find this channel has been - G bless you Laurie

  • @Nekro9000
    @Nekro9000 Před 2 měsíci

    this has to be the most insane glow up i've ever seen

  • @jawad9757
    @jawad9757 Před 2 měsíci +1

    I love [ab]using C macros as if they're C++ templates

  • @Ari-ez1vj
    @Ari-ez1vj Před 20 dny

    I feel like I just dropped a tab of acid , expanded my brain, and watched an episode of serial experiments lain

  • @denovo3949
    @denovo3949 Před 2 měsíci

    Love the background of your computer screen!

  • @davidomar742
    @davidomar742 Před 2 měsíci +10

    don't wanna know what kind of hallucinogenic drugs you got to be on to do this type of programming lol

  • @Ayelis
    @Ayelis Před měsícem

    Enjoying the Lain imagery in the intro! :3

  • @TarasZakharchenko
    @TarasZakharchenko Před 2 měsíci

    Great OS of your choice!

  • @PointEndClick
    @PointEndClick Před 2 měsíci

    This video is awesome.

  • @tenv
    @tenv Před měsícem

    Great videos! It's so satifying to see you clean up and decipher stuff like this. You should consider ricing your desktop to go with the rest of your video aestetic, on Linux I'm sure there must be some DE that can recreate the kinds of faux-windows you have for your intro/webcam.

    • @Vancer876
      @Vancer876 Před měsícem

      Yeah I was wondering why she uses windows

  • @anon_y_mousse
    @anon_y_mousse Před měsícem

    My favorite is still Banks' entry from 1998. Shaped like an airplane and it's a primitive flight sim. Although, not all of the entries will still compile on modern computers. Take for instance some of the older ones that did code injection on PDP's and the like.

  • @ruslankudriachenko5673
    @ruslankudriachenko5673 Před 2 měsíci

    Really cool video. The code is madness :)

  • @c0p0n
    @c0p0n Před 2 měsíci +9

    There are no perl obfuscated code competitions because that'd be stating the obvious

    • @nunnukanunnukalailailai1767
      @nunnukanunnukalailailai1767 Před měsícem +1

      In the industry thats called job security smh

    • @stighemmer
      @stighemmer Před měsícem

      Actually there was an obfuscated perl contest.

    • @c0p0n
      @c0p0n Před měsícem

      @@stighemmer but nobody could find it

  • @filker0
    @filker0 Před měsícem

    I used to enter the obfuscated C competition back in the 1980s. I never came close to winning, but I did my worst, which is all that can be reasonably expected.
    There are better tools for unubfusticating the contest entries. "indent", "astyle", and other source code reformatting utilities, "cpp" for doing macro expansion, "m4" and "awk" round out the toolkit.
    Around 1989-1990 I wrote a C code obfusticator and posted it to alt.sources. Unfortunately, it didn't handle ANSI C function prototypes and used semantic dirty tricks that are not portable across pre-ANSI compilers and in places conflict with ANSI additions to the C language grammar.

  • @MrHaggyy
    @MrHaggyy Před 2 měsíci +1

    If you want a medal from your coworkers for best code ever just pack every function and data object in one giant void array and cast it in the program as needed.
    There is a time for this when you change hardware configs at runtime with full bandwidth read/writes but other than that ...

  • @yanikb.1312
    @yanikb.1312 Před 2 měsíci +1

    Title: unreadable code competition
    Me: oh boy sounds like the IOCCC

  • @yayz_
    @yayz_ Před měsícem

    As someone new to C "This is starting to look like a real C program" made me laugh and then cry.

  • @sheykenasababy
    @sheykenasababy Před 2 měsíci +2

    This channel's became one of my favorites after 2 videos. I'd pay for this content.

  • @devinlauderdale9635
    @devinlauderdale9635 Před 2 měsíci

    Laurie, where do you get that windows xp era theme from???

  • @maximeduvaut1389
    @maximeduvaut1389 Před měsícem

    Your keyboard sounds great !

  • @damianzielinski71
    @damianzielinski71 Před měsícem

    After watching One short of yours I was pissed at you, but I wanted to give you a Chance and I watched this video. You've impressed me , and I love the way you speak your voice is calming and it makes enjoyable to watch your videos so now I just have to subscribe 😅❤❤ Greetings from Poland, Laurie 🎉❤

  • @miss_nainuu
    @miss_nainuu Před 2 měsíci

    Nice new look😁

  • @geralde.5724
    @geralde.5724 Před 2 měsíci +1

    But what if you debugged it 🤔 would it get confused what line to highlight?

  • @JohannesDavidsen2024
    @JohannesDavidsen2024 Před 2 měsíci

    That's cool snake, very nice 👍

  • @BlueIsLeet
    @BlueIsLeet Před 2 měsíci

    6:10 idk if that's a 'fix', looks like it's a directive only meant to run on Win32 devices (from the ifdef), and it patches main to work on windows properly

  • @Yupppi
    @Yupppi Před měsícem

    Very cool. Reminds me of figuring out what malware does, saw Low Level Learning do some of that cybersecurity challenge stuff. Also the circle code was quite aesthetic. I'd guess nvim to be one of the easier text editors to start fixing the visual look of the code and the #defines, otherwise it'd feel like a bit of a mess. The nvim plugins that follow common style for the language also helping out. These are probably the best ways to make your coworkers mad or get fired.

  • @chris11d7
    @chris11d7 Před měsícem +1

    I like how your office is a giant radiation oven

  • @deepanshurajvanshgautam8048

    why is it oddly satisfying to watch you talking over full screen.? anyone...

  • @zetronman
    @zetronman Před 2 měsíci +1

    lmao, that last one looks like the Fallout 3 hacking screen

  • @alastairkmbarron6154
    @alastairkmbarron6154 Před měsícem

    fantastic video theming this is so cool

  • @heisthazey7311
    @heisthazey7311 Před 2 měsíci +2

    good work on the editing as of late - the transitions between content and animation have gotten much faster and it feels very tight. I really enjoy the production value of your channel ty!

  • @hydrogen5087
    @hydrogen5087 Před 2 měsíci

    How do I get that task bar? Please help!

  • @Sven_Dongle
    @Sven_Dongle Před 22 dny

    Are method signatures declared before the implementation still called "prototypes", or is that ye olde tyme lingo now?

  • @kilianlindberg
    @kilianlindberg Před 21 dnem

    11:35 a skilled move right-up-key sequence approx at ~25 ms delay

  • @colley001
    @colley001 Před 13 dny

    I remember the International Collegiate Programming Contest when I was seven. FORTRAN I think, used it to drive a small robot. That was long before 1980. I thought they were the longest running?

  • @omd_0
    @omd_0 Před 25 dny

    you make me love C, that's impossible 😂😂

  • @user-pj9vw8ic3v
    @user-pj9vw8ic3v Před měsícem

    I love SkiFree, and Chip's Challenge. all of the Microsoft games pack games were great

  • @NewLondonMarshall
    @NewLondonMarshall Před 2 měsíci

    I love your channel :)

  • @JonathanZigler
    @JonathanZigler Před 2 měsíci

    I liked the pixel art Ein.

  • @Vancer876
    @Vancer876 Před měsícem

    Best cs channel

  • @Mathsky4
    @Mathsky4 Před měsícem

    Hey Laurie.. it will be great if you can do "C programming" tutorial. I know there are tons of tutorials out there but your teaching capabilities are extremely good. If you have time plz consider.

  • @sinistar3198
    @sinistar3198 Před 2 měsíci

    What if someone built one of these around taking as long as possible to manually set up for most autoformatters?