Welcome Back, Accomplices,

Hello again! Ready for your weekly CompSoc? As we enter Week 2, we're not slowing down, with six new events this week for your delectation!

This Monday, we're in the Undergraduate Social Area again for our first competitive programming contest of the term! Come along at 7:30pm to put your newfound skills to the test.

On Tuesday, we have the first of our two talks this week — a talk from our sponsors at Jane Street! Come along at 6pm in Lecture Theatre B(ill Roscoe) for a surely enlightening talk.

For Wednesday, we have a calm evening in sight; we'll be down to Knoops from 6-7pm for a spell of hot chocolate, chatter and relaxation.

On Thursday, we have the first of four student talks this term! Come along to Lecture Theatre A from 5-6pm for a promising talk on functional programming — pizza after!

We'll be closing off The Week in CompSoc on Saturday with a double billing. First, we'll be kicking off our Learn to Code sessions this term from 5:30-6:30pm at Jesus College! Afterwards, we're headed down to the Undergraduate Social Area once more for a capture-the-flag night from 7pm. Fun times guaranteed!

— Declan, CompSoc Secretary

Fun Computing Fact: In today's era of Chromium dominance, it's easy to forget that the browser wars used to be a fiercely fought thing. And if any company knew how to fight, it was Microsoft. In 2003, their Internet Explorer browser held a mind-boggling 94% of market share, being pushed heavily as a hard-to-remove component of Windows. They weren't going to just sit back on their laurels as competitors began to close in, though.

That same year, Opera Software announced that Microsoft's MSN website was serving users using Opera 7 a faulty CSS stylesheet. There was no reason for this — the Opera stylesheet didn't work in IE and IE's stylesheet worked fine in Opera. Microsoft had already tried to bar non-IE users from MSN previously in October 2001, backing down in the face of outrage. Sensing sabotage, Opera struck back with Opera 7.04 Bork Edition, which turned the MSN website into gibberish mimicking the Swedish Chef character. Microsoft soon backed down again, changing the MSN site to serve Opera 7 users with a functional stylesheet.

Still not a member? How?! Membership only costs £1 for LIFE, with tons of benefits - discounts on merch and tickets, free food at all socials, our exclusive Discord server and more - so it's definitely worth signing up!

or, go to https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/

After learning all about competitive programming in last week's bootcamp, it's time to put your skills to the test! Join us this Monday, as we prepare to do battle in the first competitive programming contest of the term. We'll be in the Department's Undergraduate Social Area from 7:30-9:30pm working through tricky problems. Whether you're a novice or an expert, come along and join in!

When: 7:30-9:30pm, Monday 20th October

Where: Undergraduate Social Area, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG

Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/3PiiSkb15

This Tuesday, we have our first sponsor talk of the year! We'll be joined this week by our sponsors at Jane Street in the Department's Bill Roscoe Lecture Theatre for a surely scintillating talk. If you're interested in Jane Street's work or are thinking about careers, make sure to come along at 6pm!

When: 6pm, Tuesday 21st October

Where: Lecture Theatre B(ill Roscoe), Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG

Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/3Nvi0Rcbk

Amongst the hurly-burly of talks and contests, take a moment to relax with us this Wednesday! We'll be headed down to Knoops on Wednesday evening to sip some free hot chocolate and converse from 6-7pm. If you fancy a more chilled out social, come along and join us!

When: 6-7pm, Wednesday 22nd October

Where: Knoops 21 Turl St, Oxford OX1 3DH

Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/1RdOxCplii

This Thursday, we're kicking off our array of student talks this term with an ever-relevant topic — functional programming! Join us this week in the Department's Lecture Theatre A from 5-6pm for a fascinating talk, after which we'll enjoy the classic CompSoc staple of free pizza. Don't miss it!

When: 5-6pm, Thursday 23rd October

Where: Lecture Theatre A, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG

Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/9tq5876Va

Bewildered at the very idea of computer science? Longing to learn how to give your computer commands? Well, the first session of our Learn to Code series is just for you! This Saturday, we'll be kicking off our six-session series, starting off with the very basics of coding in the Python programming language and slowly working our way up. If you're interested in learning to code, join us from 5:30-6:30pm at Jesus College — anyone is welcome!

When: 5:30-6:30pm, Saturday 25th October

Where: Jesus College Turl St, Oxford OX1 3DW

Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/4zDQuvbAg

After our introductory session last week, now's the chance to put your newfound knowledge into action! This Saturday, we'll be holding a capture-the-flag cybersecurity contest in collaboration with TryHackMe. Whether you're new or experienced, come along to the Undergraduate Social Area from 7pm and join in! We'll also have the classic hallmarks of a Saturday Social... free pizza and snacks galore.

When: 7pm, Saturday 25th October

Where: Undergraduate Social Area, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG

Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/6T4ZEK6HZ

Our sponsors at TPP will be at the University's Careers in Computing Fair this month! If you're interested in a career with TPP, come along to the Maths Institute on Thursday 30th October!

When: 3-5pm, Thursday 30th October

Where: Mathematical Institute, Andrew Wiles Building Woodstock Rd, Oxford OX2 6GG

A message from our sponsors at Perplexity:

Students get free Perplexity Pro and exclusive student features like flashcards and quizzes when you verify your student status. Sign up at perplexity.ai/students

Make sure to join OxWoCS (Oxford Women in CS), a society we're working closely with, if you identify as a woman or woman-adjacent person in CS! They have a host of wonderful events on, including talks, panels and socials. Computer Science is unfortunately a subject with one of the biggest gender gaps in Oxford and worldwide, and addressing this is at the core of OxWoCS.

or, contact us at committee@ox.compsoc.net

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