My problem with the Loebner Prize these days is not that it's mis-representing Turing's intention (I don't think it is) but that they have moved to a hideous in

My problem with the Loebner Prize these days is not that it's mis-representing Turing's intention (I don't think it is) but that they have moved to a hideous input/output system that each entrant is required to use. Each program, upon startup, must provide a “browse” function to select a directory. Communications shall be by means of the creation, detection, and deletion of sub-directories within the specified communications directory. To simulate a key press the entry program must create a sub-directory within the communications directory with the following format: “time.keypress-name.extension” where time is a monotonically increasing 18 digit number (in lexical and numerical order) (i.e. zero filled to the left) to be retrieved from the system clock and expressed as milliseconds past some initial time as defined by the system clock. “keypress-name” is either a single letter (case sensitive) or the name of the special character, as appended to these rules. The extension is “.other” For example: “000001234567890123.bracketleft.other” To detect a key press by the judge, the program must detect, within the communications directory a sub-directory with the same format, but extension “.judge” and then must remove or delete the judge’s sub-directory from the communications directory. It's not the end of the world, but at the same time it's a fairly nasty way of doing something that should be relatively easy. I entered in 2002 before they introduced this and have been hesitant to enter again in recent years partly because I don't want to have to deal with the hackery of the 'communications protocol'.