hi list.
i was just thinking about something, maybe it's a bad idea, but i'll fire it off anyway: how about having a pd-patching-competition on a regular basis (annual?). not to see who's the best of the best, but just to have an overview of the broad spectrum of state-of-the-art pd programming.
categories might include: -best audio patch in general -best algorithmic composition patch -best sequenced/live track -best 2d/3d visualisation (interactive and sequenced) -best multimedial patch -best artistic installation patch -best (non-audio-non-video) utility patch -best patch coolness/filesize ratio -best game -best abuse of medium -funniest patch -best patch collection/patch lib -obfuscated pd contest? ;) -speedpatching contest (get a topic and finish within 2hrs) -everything(!) goes contest other suggestions? of course, some categories overlap a bit, so a patch could win in game/abuse/funny/obfuscated/multimedia/etc. all at once, so maybe there should be a restriction of 1 category per entry?
prizes might include: -fame, kudos -lifetime free pd license (free updates included!) any sponsors for other prizes interested?
judging could either be done by a jury, or by a community poll. the judging could be based on: -overall coolness -ease of use/interface ergonomy -installation (single patch or tons of paths to configure first) -adaptability/reusability for/in other contexts -portability (consistent gui appearance on major oses, not too exotic externals) -configurability -code readability (is it clean and well documented?) -filesize (no huge tables saved with the patch) -patch ethics? (no patches to harm kittens and fire missles anywhere) and maybe lots of other things.
it's just that i observed that in some communities, like the demoscene or the int-fiction one, periodical contest results are a good starting point for interested newbies and an inspirational source for seasoned users. the competition could be held within a neat puredata.info wiki. the only thing i'd fear is that there might be not enough entries to hold an meaningful voting. the pd list is 1000+ members, but the regular posters are just a handful (and out of those, not everyone releases patches regularly). i hope that for such a contest some of the interested lurkers and occasional posters would come out of their holes and participate. but as stated in the beginning, maybe it's a bad idea. any comments?
charlie