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**ALGOL 60** is a computer programming language designed in 1958 by a team of international computer scientists led by John McCarthy. It was the first high-level programming language to be designed specifically for mathematical computing and became the standard language for research in theoretical computer science. ALGOL 60 was influential in the development of later programming languages, including C, C++, Java, and Python. * **Source:** [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALGOL_60)

Ask the right questions secure the right ALGOL 60 talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

First 20 minutes

General ALGOL 60 app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in ALGOL 60 application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

How would you declare an integer in ALGOL 60?

You would declare an integer in ALGOL 60 using the keyword 'integer'. For example: 'integer x;'

What are the basic data types in ALGOL 60?

The basic data types in ALGOL 60 are integer, real, boolean, and arrays.

Describe the difference between 'begin' and 'end' in ALGOL 60.

'Begin' and 'end' are used to denote the start and end of a block of code or a compound statement in ALGOL 60.

How would you implement a loop in ALGOL 60?

You can implement a loop in ALGOL 60 using the 'for' keyword. For example: 'for i := 1 step 1 until 10 do begin ... end'

What are the logical operators in ALGOL 60?

The logical operators in ALGOL 60 are 'and', 'or', and 'not'.

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What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate have a solid understanding of ALGOL 60?

Can the candidate solve problems using ALGOL 60?

Is the candidate able to work well in a team?

Has the candidate demonstrated good communication skills?

Next 20 minutes

Specific ALGOL 60 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 'own' and 'local' variables in ALGOL 60.

'Own' variables retain their values between procedure calls, while 'local' variables do not. They are reinitialized each time the procedure is called.

How would you write a function in ALGOL 60?

You can write a function in ALGOL 60 using the 'procedure' keyword. For example: 'procedure square(x); real x; begin real square; square := x * x; end'

What are the arithmetic operators in ALGOL 60?

The arithmetic operators in ALGOL 60 are '+', '-', '*', '/', and 'div'.

Describe the difference between pass by value and pass by name in ALGOL 60.

In pass by value, the actual value is passed. In pass by name, a reference to the variable is passed, allowing the procedure to modify the original variable.

How would you handle exceptions in ALGOL 60?

ALGOL 60 does not have built-in support for exception handling. You would need to implement your own error checking and handling logic.

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At this point, a skilled ALGOL 60 engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in ALGOL 60 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 ALGOL 60.

What does this simple ALGOL 60 code do?
BEGIN INTEGER a; a := 5; PRINT(a); END
This code declares an integer variable 'a', assigns the value 5 to 'a', and then prints the value of 'a'. The output will be '5'.
What will be the output of this ALGOL 60 code?
BEGIN REAL x; x := 3.14; PRINT((x * 2) / 3); END
This code declares a real variable 'x', assigns the value 3.14 to 'x', and then prints the result of the expression '(x * 2) / 3'. The output will be '2.09333333333'.
What does this ALGOL 60 code do?
BEGIN INTEGER array[5]; FOR i := 1 STEP 1 UNTIL 5 DO array[i] := i * 2; PRINT(array); END
This code declares an integer array of size 5, assigns each element of the array with the value of its index multiplied by 2, and then prints the array. The output will be '2 4 6 8 10'.
What does this ALGOL 60 code do?
BEGIN BOOLEAN flag; flag := TRUE; IF flag THEN PRINT('True') ELSE PRINT('False'); END
This code declares a boolean variable 'flag', assigns the value TRUE to 'flag', and then prints 'True' if 'flag' is TRUE, otherwise it prints 'False'. The output will be 'True'.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for ALGOL 60 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 ALGOL 60 application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

What are the control structures in ALGOL 60?

The control structures in ALGOL 60 are 'if' statements, 'for' loops, 'while' loops, and 'goto' statements.

Describe the difference between 'if' and 'case' statements in ALGOL 60.

'If' statements are used for conditional execution based on a single condition, while 'case' statements are used for conditional execution based on multiple conditions.

How would you implement recursion in ALGOL 60?

You can implement recursion in ALGOL 60 by writing a procedure that calls itself. For example, a recursive factorial function could be written as: 'procedure factorial(n); integer n; begin integer factorial; if n = 0 then factorial := 1 else factorial := n * factorial(n - 1); end'

ALGOL 60 application related

Product Perfect's ALGOL 60 development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your ALGOL 60 engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in ALGOL 60 projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.

ALGOL 60 Consultive assessments

ALGOL 60 Application Conversion Assessment ALGOL 60 Application Integration Assessment ALGOL 60 Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom ALGOL 60 development projects

Custom ALGOL 60 App Conversion ALGOL 60 Custom App Development Process App UI Design for ALGOL 60 Facelifts

Hiring guide for ALGOL 60 Engineers

ALGOL 60 Developer Hiring Guide

What you’re looking for early on

The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the ALGOL 60 engineer at this point.

ALGOL 60 Consultive assessments

Custom ALGOL 60 development projects