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ALGOL 68, short for Algorithmic Language 1968, is a high-level computer programming language developed as a successor to ALGOL 60. It was designed by an international committee and officially published in December 1968, becoming one of the first languages to fully integrate structured programming concepts. ALGOL 68 was known for its rich expression and statement syntax, and its influence on later languages like Pascal and C. However, its complexity and lack of widespread implementation led to its decline in popularity. Today, it remains a significant milestone in the history of programming languages (source: Wexelblat, Richard L., ed. History of Programming Languages. New York: ACM Press, 1981).

Ask the right questions secure the right ALGOL 68 talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

First 20 minutes

General ALGOL 68 app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in ALGOL 68 application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

What are the main features of ALGOL 68?

ALGOL 68 is known for its rich expression syntax, strong typing, block structure, nested functions, concurrent programming, and garbage collection.

How would you declare an array in ALGOL 68?

In ALGOL 68, an array can be declared using the '[]' brackets. For example, 'INT array[5]' declares an array of integers with 5 elements.

Describe the difference between ALGOL 60 and ALGOL 68.

ALGOL 68 is a much more complex language than ALGOL 60. It introduced many new features like concurrent programming, garbage collection, and a rich expression syntax. ALGOL 60 is simpler and easier to learn, but less powerful.

What is the purpose of the 'mode' keyword in ALGOL 68?

The 'mode' keyword in ALGOL 68 is used to define a new data type. It is similar to 'typedef' in C.

How would you implement a recursive function in ALGOL 68?

A recursive function in ALGOL 68 can be implemented by declaring a function that calls itself. The function must have a base case to prevent infinite recursion.

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What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate display a strong understanding of ALGOL 68's syntax and semantics?

Has the candidate demonstrated experience with ALGOL 68 in a professional setting?

Is the candidate able to design and implement complex algorithms in ALGOL 68?

Can the candidate debug and optimize ALGOL 68 code?

Next 20 minutes

Specific ALGOL 68 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.

What are the control structures available in ALGOL 68?

ALGOL 68 provides several control structures including 'if-then-else', 'case', 'while', 'for', and 'do'.

How would you handle exceptions in ALGOL 68?

ALGOL 68 provides a 'catch' statement to handle exceptions. The 'catch' statement can be used to catch and handle any exceptions that occur within its scope.

Describe the difference between 'INT' and 'REAL' in ALGOL 68.

'INT' is used to declare integer variables, while 'REAL' is used to declare floating-point variables. They are both primitive data types in ALGOL 68.

What is the purpose of the 'co' keyword in ALGOL 68?

The 'co' keyword in ALGOL 68 is used to introduce a coroutine. Coroutines are a generalization of subroutines that can be entered, exited, and reentered at multiple locations.

How would you implement a concurrent program in ALGOL 68?

ALGOL 68 provides the 'PAR' keyword to implement concurrent programming. The 'PAR' keyword can be used to specify that a block of code should be executed in parallel with the rest of the program.

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At this point, a skilled ALGOL 68 engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in ALGOL 68 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 68.

What does this simple ALGOL 68 code do?
BEGIN
  INT a := 5;
  INT b := 10;
  PRINT((a + b), new line)
END
This code declares two integer variables 'a' and 'b', assigns them the values 5 and 10 respectively, and then prints the sum of 'a' and 'b' to the console.
What will be the output of this ALGOL 68 code?
BEGIN
  REAL x := 3.14;
  REAL y := 2.71;
  PRINT((x * y), new line)
END
This code declares two real variables 'x' and 'y', assigns them the values 3.14 and 2.71 respectively, and then prints the product of 'x' and 'y' to the console. The output will be approximately 8.5094.
What does this ALGOL 68 code do with an array?
BEGIN
  [1:5]INT array := (1, 2, 3, 4, 5);
  FOR i FROM LWB array TO UPB array DO
    PRINT((array[i]), new line)
  OD
END
This code declares an integer array 'array' with 5 elements, assigns it the values from 1 to 5, and then prints each element of the array to the console in a new line.
What does this ALGOL 68 code do with concurrency?
BEGIN
  SEMA s := INIT SEMA(1);
  CO BEGIN
    DOWN(s);
    PRINT(('Thread 1'), new line);
    UP(s);
  CO
  CO BEGIN
    DOWN(s);
    PRINT(('Thread 2'), new line);
    UP(s);
  CO
END
This code declares a semaphore 's' and initializes it with a value of 1. It then creates two concurrent threads. Each thread will try to acquire the semaphore before printing its identifier to the console and then release the semaphore. This ensures that the two print statements will not execute simultaneously.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for ALGOL 68 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 68 application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

What are the different types of operators available in ALGOL 68?

ALGOL 68 provides a wide range of operators including arithmetic operators, comparison operators, logical operators, and bitwise operators.

How would you implement a dynamic data structure in ALGOL 68?

Dynamic data structures in ALGOL 68 can be implemented using pointers. The 'REF' keyword is used to declare a pointer, and the 'NEW' keyword is used to allocate memory.

Describe the difference between 'PROC' and 'OP' in ALGOL 68.

'PROC' is used to declare a procedure, while 'OP' is used to declare an operator. Operators in ALGOL 68 are essentially functions that can be called using infix notation.

ALGOL 68 application related

Product Perfect's ALGOL 68 development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your ALGOL 68 engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in ALGOL 68 projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.

ALGOL 68 Consultive assessments

ALGOL 68 Application Conversion Assessment ALGOL 68 Application Integration Assessment ALGOL 68 Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom ALGOL 68 development projects

Custom ALGOL 68 App Conversion ALGOL 68 Custom App Development Process App UI Design for ALGOL 68 Facelifts

Hiring guide for ALGOL 68 Engineers

ALGOL 68 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 68 engineer at this point.

ALGOL 68 Consultive assessments

Custom ALGOL 68 development projects