Lambda the Ultimate

After the first few levels, they start relying on specific Python libraries.

Better to just work with Python the whole way. ;-)

yup, I decided to stop on the one that relied on the Pickle library. (But not before I spent ages trying to "pronounce" the content of banner.p)

A shame; it was a fun, fairly language independent (if a bit heavy on regexp stuff) contest up until that point.

There are a few that require specific Python libraries, and a few for which the Python libraries offer functionality that for whatever reason isn't common. But for the most part I was able to use PLT Scheme instead of Python -- I've gotten up to level 12 and I only used Python for 2 of the 11 challenges I completed. Mostly Scheme didn't offer me any advantages and didn't hurt me, but on the ones that had to do with graphics manipulation PLT Scheme's image.ss teachpack was fantastic.

I've been using nothing but Lua. It can be done. The hardest parts so far (up to level 17) have been: translating a Ruby implementation of a subset of Python's depickler, writing a zlib subset, and writing readers and writers for graphics files. Anything is possible with sufficient documentation and time.

The Python focus is a shame. Most of the challenge is independent of language. You'd be mad to do most without writing a program, but there's usually no need to use Python in particular.

translating a Ruby implementation of a subset of Python's depickler, writing a zlib subset, and writing readers and writers for graphics files. Anything is possible with sufficient documentation and time.

Geez, and I thought I was spending too much time on this puzzle. ;-)