Fourth International Obfuscated C Code Contest

View the index.html web page for the given winning entry for information on how compile it and how to run the winning program. Look at the winning source and try to figure how it does what it does! You may then wish to look at the Author’s remarks for even more details.

The rules for 1987 suggested even more categories than in 1986. Hints for what to do and not to do were also given in the rules. For example, a simple excessive abuse of /lib/cpp was discouraged unless the abuse was unusual. The mailboxes for the contest were moved from nsc to amdahl. The practice of posting a preliminary set of rules for the next year was started this year.

Rules and results were posted to comp.lang.c and comp.unix.wizards with an announcement in news.announce.important. Micro/Systems Journal published the 1987 winning entries. Mary Ann Horton included a version of the 1987 winning entries in an appendix of her C book Portable C Software International Edition (published under the name Mark R Horton). The first announcement of winning entries at the Summer 87 USENIX was helped by a small fly that danced all over the foils.

Final Comments

IMPORTANT NOTE: See contact.html for up to date contact details as well as details on how to provide fixes to any of the entries. See also the IOCCC FAQ for additional information on the IOCCC.

Download all winning entries from 1987

• 1987/biggar - Best abuse of the rules
• 1987/heckbert - Best obfuscator of programs
• 1987/hines - Worst style
• 1987/korn - Best one liner
• 1987/lievaart - Grand Prize
• 1987/wall - Most useful obfuscation
• 1987/westley - Best layout

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