The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[GoSimon]

The Exhaustive Matrix Generator <http://www.hyperinfo.ca/Sudoku/> helps a lot indeed.

Sometimes I wish I also had no conscience, then I could also profit from selling all kinds of crap to the unknowing people on the internet. Seriously, someone is asking $9.99 for some access codes that lets you use a strange "matrix generator" that apparently cannot even find a naked triplet?! GoSimon, if you paid for that, I feel really sorry for you. There's lots of free programs available for download that are a lot more helpful than the one you mentioned.

On the contrary, I am very happy to have spent $9.99 for the access code because I am still a Sudoku newbie (started only in October of this year). I want to have the challenge of finding the Doubles and Triples myself, but I am completely lost without the candidate numbers. Using the Exhaustive Matrix Generator, I can enjoy solving Sudoku. In fact, I have enjoyed solving every single puzzle in my local newspaper with this method. So, it is perfect for a non-professional Sudoku player.

[andrewd]

Perhaps GoSimon would like to check out this link:

http://www.sudopedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Amongst its contents are links to Freeware Sudoku Programs and Guides - which will enable him to refine his skills, at his own pace and free of charge. That is unless he choses to make a voluntary donation...where the site so allows.

Andrewd

[RW]

On the contrary, I am very happy to have spent $9.99 for the access code because I am still a Sudoku newbie (started only in October of this year). I want to have the challenge of finding the Doubles and Triples myself, but I am completely lost without the candidate numbers. Using the Exhaustive Matrix Generator, I can enjoy solving Sudoku.

So that's what the program does? Gives you the pencilmarks? Then I think it's definitely a scam. I guess any experienced programmer could make one of those as pure finger workout, with their brains on 'stand by', in less than one hour. Do you really think $9.99 is a reasonable price for that product? Or as the site says "$20 (-50%) - Only $9.99", before it was updated earlier today it said "$15 (-50%) - Only $9.99". Doesn't seem like a very reliable source to me. The program has a very fancy name, but there's no description at all on the page about what it really does - also a sign of a scam. If it did anything of value, it would probably be worth mentioning.

I'm sure you have enjoyed solving with the help of the program, who wouldn't enjoy solving sudoku, but that's not the point. The point is that there's probably hundreds of programs available for free that can do the exact same thing, and they can also help you if you get stuck, teach you new techniques and provide you with unlimited amounts of puzzles. The sudoku programs in Sudopedia are only a fraction of these.

Very interesting that 6 minutes after andrewd mentioned Sudopedia in this thread, the exhaustive matrix generator was added to Sudopedia's list of online solvers... Seems that someone who follows this thread closely has an interest in promoting the program. Anyway, as it is commercial, there's a separate place for those in Sudopedia and if it only gives the pencilmarks, it does not qualify as a solver, so it must be removed.

RW

[udosuk]

For all those who downloaded and installed the "Exhaustive Matrix Generator" thingy (I wouldn't go as far as calling it a "program" or "software"), I seriously suggest them to scan their computers thoroughly for virus/worms/trojan horses/spywares etc... Besides getting ripped off what you don't want is to lose your credit card details etc to shameless scammers... Interestingly, it seems the "customers" of these types of scams are the most likely ones to be attacked by those malicious schemes...

[tarek]

GoSimon, you had me there for a second.......

I almost thought that you were trying to scam us by disguising yourself as a newbie who bought this "ACCESS CODE"

Did you manage to check the other free solvers before you made this bold move ?

tarek

[merallas]

I found another "very" difficult sudoku, at least for my program

708000300000201000500000000040000026300080000000100090090600004000070500000000000

What is the opinion about this puzzle.

The new version of the program can now handle the most common notations, so sudokus can be entered by drag and drop.

[RW]

I found another "very" difficult sudoku, at least for my program

Yes, it's definitely a hard one. Not quite as hard as the one Havard posted, but with SE rating 9.5 and suxrat9 rating 1538 it has a good chance to reach ravel's list of the hardest sudokus. You should post it there.

RW

[ravel]

.. it has a good chance to reach ravel's list ...

No, it needs less than 4 steps.

[merallas]

Oeps I saw I have posted that sudoku before in this site. I was so happy to find a sudoku from some list, which needs all the power of the program that I did not recognize that it was accidentally the same.
So I have still one sudoku which needs full power of the program.

[Carcul]

Yes, it's definitely a hard one. Not quite as hard as the one Havard posted, but with SE rating 9.5 and suxrat9 rating 1538 it has a good chance to reach ravel's list of the hardest sudokus.

This puzzle is rather easy: look the solution I posted on this thread.

No, it needs less than 4 steps.

Yes, 2 steps.

Carcul