I have been using printfs too but the time spent writing these not
only detracts from the contest time, it also diverts your attention
from the algorithm. I mainly use c++ for solving problems. I used java
when multiple precision problems came up but now switched to gmp.
Also, for those of us who don't really use STL much, code completion
features could be a great help. I agree that figuring out an algorithm
is the first major hurdle but when it comes to implementing them,
faster writing and debugging can be a great help. I've been avoiding
using gdb till now- anyone use it for contests?

On May 25, 6:55 pm, Amtep <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Tue, May 25, 2010 at 06:04:04PM +0530, Dhruva Sagar wrote:
> > But the real reason I think that to be the case is because Debugging will
> > not help you get the right algorithm, it will only help you find problems in
> > the algorithm you thought of...
>
> But that does help you find the right algorithm :)
> During the contest I often choose a simpler algorithm that's less efficient
> but which will save me on debugging and programming time.
> If I had a faster way of debugging, then I could also choose more complicated
> algorithms.
>
> I'm not sure if I actually would, though. It's not just a matter of time.
> There is also the risk that a mistake in the code makes you get the 'large'
> input wrong. So I usually keep things simple.
>
> (Often the faster algorithm is also simpler, but not always!)
>
> --
> Richard Braakman
>
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