Can you break the code?

Red Gate would like to thank the 164 participants who took part in the prize draw. With 98% of answers correct, we are glad to announce the three winners of the Break The Code draw.

Winners of the prize draw

Congratulations to...

1st prize

Ersin L. Domangue, Arnold, MD, USA

  • A year's subscription to Safari Books Online (worth $550)
  • One ANTS Profiler Pro license (worth $495)
  • Red Gate goodies

2nd prize

Joe Egan, Lemon Grove, CA, USA

  • One ANTS Profiler Pro license
  • Red Gate goodies

3rd prize

Timothy Greaves, Bedford, UK

  • Red Gate goodies

Red Gate respects your privacy and will, therefore, delete all emails received in relation to this prize draw. No contact details will be kept or used in an inappropriate manner.

The code

WW91IHdpbGwgbm90IG1ha2UgeW91ciBhcHBsaWNhdGlvbiBydW4gZmFzdGVyIGJ5IGRlY2lwaGVy
aW5nIHRoaXMgY29kZS4gQW5kIGluc3RlYWQgb2YgdHJ5aW5nIHRvIHByb3ZlIHRvIHlvdXJzZWxm
IGhvdyBjbGV2ZXIgeW91IGFyZSwgd2h5IGRvbid0IHlvdSBzaG93IHlvdXIgYm9zcywgY2xpZW50
cywgYW5kIHBlZXJzIHdoYXQgYSBjb21wZXRlbnQgZG90bmV0IGRldmVsb3BlciB5b3UgYXJlLCBi
eSBwcm9maWxpbmcgdGhlIHBlcmZvcm1hbmNlIG9mIHlvdXIgY29kZSBiZWZvcmUgc2hpcHBpbmcg
eW91ciBhcHBsaWNhdGlvbi4gVGhhdCB3YXksIHlvdSB3aWxsIGNhdGNoIHVwIGFueSBwb3RlbnRp
YWwgcGVyZm9ybWFuY2UgaXNzdWVzIHdheSBiZWZvcmUgaGFuZCwgYW5kIHdheSBiZWZvcmUgYW55
b25lIG5vdGljZXMgYW55dGhpbmchIEZpcnN0IHJhdGUgZGV2ZWxvcGVycyB0ZW5kIHRvIGtub3cg
aG93IHRoZWlyIGNvZGUgcGVyZm9ybXMgYmVmb3JlIGxldHRpbmcgdGhlaXIgcHJvZ3JhbSBvZmYg
aW50byB0aGUgd2lsZC4gRG8geW91PyA=

The solution – Base64 encoding

You will not make your application run faster by deciphering this code. Instead of trying to prove to yourself how clever you are, why don't you show your boss, clients, and peers what a competent .NET developer you are by profiling the performance of your code before shipping your application. This way you will catch any potential performance issues way before hand, and way before anyone notices anything! First rate developers tend to know how their code performs before letting their program off into the wild. Do you?

Terms and conditions

The closing date for entries is September 30, 2007.

This prize draw is free, and you do not need to buy anything to enter.

This prize draw is open to persons aged 18 and over. This draw is not open to employees of Safari Books Online Llc, or of Red Gate Software Ltd, their families, or any other company directly connected with the administration of this promotion.

The prize draw in only open to residents of the US, the UK, Canada and Australia.

Each participant can enter once only.

Registration completion is based on the following information being provided: full name, e-mail address, postal address and your solution.

The draw will be made on October 2, 2007 and the winner will be notified by email within 48 hours of the draw date. The winners' names and country of residence will also be displayed on this page for two to four weeks after the draw date.

 

Note: This draw was just a starter. The next challenge, planned for the New Year, will be at least 10 times harder. So, for those who think that this was too easy, watch out! :)

 

Prize draw sponsored by

ANTS Profiler logoANTS Profiler Pro
Red Gate's .NET profiler, for identifying performance bottlenecks and memory leaks in .NET applications.
Find out more, and download your free trial.

 

Safari Books Online logoSafari Books Online
Electronic reference library offering the world's premier technology books, video, and other content from leading authors and publishers. Exclusive suite of content from O'Reilly, Peachpit, Addison-Wesley, lynda.com and many more. Online database provides IT and programming professionals quick and easy search for reliable technology content, live code examples, instructional and certification media. Find out more – start your free trial.