OJ Board

I want to suggest that the new system should use shorter and more simple URLs. For example, look at this current URL:

http://icpcres.ecs.baylor.edu/onlinejud ... problem=36

It would be a lot better to be just

http://icpcres.ecs.baylor.edu/onlinejudge/problem/3/36
or
http://icpcres.ecs.baylor.edu/onlinejud ... n/vol1/100
or similar.

Main reasons why the URLs must be shorter:

• Easier to memorize.
• Easier to read.
• Easier to generate automatically (imagine a little search box plugin for firefox that allows you to type the problem ID and gets you directly to the problem ID page).
• Hides the internal workings of the system.
• The URL won't (or shouldn't) change if some of the system components are modified or replaced.

References:

• http://www.w3.org/Provider/Style/URI
• http://www.w3.org/QA/Tips/uri-choose
• http://www.w3.org/QA/Tips/readable-uri (the question: Use directories instead of ?aid=342h987f2)
• http://www.w3.org/QA/Tips/uri-manage (talks about using HTTP redirects for old URIs)

This kind of suggestions are not taken into account until the system is 100% operative.

Carlos wrote:This kind of suggestions are not taken into account until the system is 100% operative.

I understand that, but I just hope this won't be forgotten in future.
Thanks for response, anyway.

My two cents is that e.g. submitting to spoj.pl takes me 4-5 seconds (!) (with lynx), while to UVa I had to go through a vast number of redirections...

don't worry, we'll add a "submit problem" form so that you don't have to go over all this.