> programming challenges do not help you become a better programmer
Depends on the definition of "better". If fluency and coding speed in a (new) programming language, and knowledge/experience with algorithms and their efficiency are part of that metric, then programming challenges do help becoming a better programmer... or at least: a better coder. No, the challenges do not address the whole required skill set of a good programmer.
BTW, the most important reason that Project Euler is independent of programming languages is that the answer to a PE-problem is a number. It doesn't care or evaluate how you came up with that number. Some problems might be solved with some mathematical formulas, and possibly a piece of paper and a pencil. (Or a smart query towards Wolfram Alpha, for wider definitions on "how to solve a problem".)
Depends on the definition of "better". If fluency and coding speed in a (new) programming language, and knowledge/experience with algorithms and their efficiency are part of that metric, then programming challenges do help becoming a better programmer... or at least: a better coder. No, the challenges do not address the whole required skill set of a good programmer.
BTW, the most important reason that Project Euler is independent of programming languages is that the answer to a PE-problem is a number. It doesn't care or evaluate how you came up with that number. Some problems might be solved with some mathematical formulas, and possibly a piece of paper and a pencil. (Or a smart query towards Wolfram Alpha, for wider definitions on "how to solve a problem".)