Product Perfect

The Aldor programming language is a successor to the A# language, developed by IBM's Thomas Mandel and Richard S. Bird in the 1980s. It was initially designed for use in the Axiom computer algebra system, as documented in Stephen Watt's "Aldor" (1997). The language exhibits a blend of imperative, functional, and object-oriented programming paradigms. Aldor's distinguishing feature is its dependent types system, which allows for more precise expressiveness and control in software design. Despite its innovative features, Aldor has remained relatively obscure due to limited commercial uptake and proprietary restrictions until 2003 when it became open-source.

Ask the right questions secure the right Aldor talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

First 20 minutes

General Aldor app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in Aldor application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

How would you define Aldor's type system?

Aldor's type system is dependent and based on lambda calculus. It allows for more expressiveness and flexibility in the typing of functions and data.

What are the main features of Aldor language?

Aldor language features include dependent types, first-class functions, and an emphasis on symbolic computation.

Describe the difference between Aldor and other programming languages.

Unlike many other programming languages, Aldor is designed for mathematical computations and symbolic computations. It also has a dependent type system, which allows for more flexibility and expressiveness.

How would you implement a function in Aldor?

Functions in Aldor are implemented using the '->' operator for defining the function type and the ':=' operator for assigning the function body.

What are the main uses of Aldor?

Aldor is mainly used in mathematical and scientific computing, particularly in areas like algebraic computations and symbolic computations.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate demonstrate a strong understanding of Aldor programming language?

Has the candidate shown problem-solving skills during the interview?

Is the candidate able to communicate effectively about their process and decisions?

Has the candidate discussed past projects where they used Aldor?

Next 20 minutes

Specific Aldor development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should focus on the candidate's expertise with specific backend frameworks, their understanding of RESTful APIs, and their experience in handling data storage and retrieval efficiently.

Describe the difference between dependent and independent types in Aldor.

Dependent types in Aldor are those whose definition depends on a value, while independent types are those that do not depend on any value.

How would you handle errors in Aldor?

Errors in Aldor can be handled using exceptions. The 'throw' keyword is used to raise an exception, while the 'try' and 'catch' keywords are used to handle them.

What are the benefits of Aldor's dependent type system?

Aldor's dependent type system allows for more expressiveness in the typing of functions and data. It also allows for more robust type checking at compile time, which can help prevent errors.

Describe the difference between Aldor's '->' and ':=' operators.

In Aldor, the '->' operator is used to define the type of a function, while the ':=' operator is used to assign the body of a function or a value to a variable.

How would you optimize an Aldor program for performance?

Optimizing an Aldor program for performance can involve techniques like reducing the number of function calls, using more efficient data structures, and avoiding unnecessary computations.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

At this point, a skilled Aldor engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in Aldor programming language, and knowledge of software development methodologies. Red flags include lack of hands-on experience, inability to articulate complex concepts, or unfamiliarity with standard coding practices.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with Aldor.

What does the following Aldor code do?
import from List Integer;
xs: List Integer := [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
ys: List Integer := reverse! xs;
The code imports the List Integer type, creates a list of integers named 'xs', and then creates a reversed copy of 'xs' named 'ys'.
What will be the output of the following Aldor code?
import from Integer;
stdout << 2 + 3 << newline;
The code will output the result of the addition operation, which is '5', to the standard output.
What does the following Aldor code do?
import from List Integer;
xs: List Integer := [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
ys: List Integer := [x * x for x in xs];
The code imports the List Integer type, creates a list of integers named 'xs', and then creates a new list 'ys' where each element is the square of the corresponding element in 'xs'.
What does the following Aldor code do?
import from MachineInteger, Thread;
myThread: Thread MachineInteger := thread { () +-> 42 };
The code imports the MachineInteger and Thread types, and then creates a new thread named 'myThread' that, when run, will return the integer '42'.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for Aldor Developer role questions

The final few questions should evaluate the candidate's teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, assess their knowledge of microservices architecture, serverless computing, and how they handle Aldor application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

What are the limitations of Aldor?

Some limitations of Aldor include a steep learning curve, limited support for concurrent programming, and a lack of libraries and tools compared to more mainstream languages.

Describe the difference between Aldor and Axiom.

Aldor and Axiom are both computer algebra systems, but Aldor is a programming language used to implement Axiom. Aldor is more powerful and flexible, while Axiom provides a more user-friendly interface.

How would you implement a recursive function in Aldor?

A recursive function in Aldor can be implemented by having the function call itself within its own definition. The base case is defined to stop the recursion.

Aldor application related

Product Perfect's Aldor development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your Aldor engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in Aldor projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.

Aldor Consultive assessments

Aldor Application Conversion Assessment Aldor Application Integration Assessment Aldor Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom Aldor development projects

Custom Aldor App Conversion Aldor Custom App Development Process App UI Design for Aldor Facelifts

Hiring guide for Aldor Engineers

Aldor Developer Hiring Guide

What you’re looking for early on

The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the Aldor engineer at this point.

Aldor Consultive assessments

Custom Aldor development projects