A public leaderboard for the L.A.B. simulator — and why it might be a bad idea

[akash-coded]

The problem

12 labs, auto-graded, and no way for a learner to see progress except locally. There is no signal
that anyone else is doing this, which for a solo learner is most of the motivation.

The proposal

CI already evaluates a submission on a pull request. It could append (user, lab, timestamp) to a
JSON file and Pages could render a table — labs completed, tracks finished, first-to-solve.

The argument against, which I think is stronger

A leaderboard optimises for completion, and these labs are not about completion. The hidden
checks exist so you fail once and learn what the brief left out. A leaderboard rewards passing
fast, which rewards reading reference.py — and the debrief, which is where the actual teaching
is, becomes the thing you skip.

The version I would build instead

A progress wall, not a ranking: who has completed which tracks, no times, no order, no
first-to-solve. Cohort visibility without a race.

Argue me out of the stronger version if you think I am wrong — I am not confident.