Hiring guide for ALGOL 68-R+ Engineers

ALGOL 68-R+ Developer Hiring Guide

ALGOL 68-R+ is a computer programming language. It was developed in 1978 by a team of researchers at the University of Edinburgh. The language is a successor to ALGOL 68, which was developed in the 1960s. ALGOL 68-R+ is a general-purpose language that can be used to develop a wide variety of applications. It is still in use today, although it is not as popular as some other languages.

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

First 20 minutes

General ALGOL 68-R+ app knowledge and experience

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

How would you declare a variable in ALGOL 68-R+?
You declare a variable in ALGOL 68-R+ by specifying its type followed by its identifier. For example, 'INT i' declares an integer variable named i.
What are the basic data types in ALGOL 68-R+?
The basic data types in ALGOL 68-R+ are INT for integer, REAL for floating point numbers, BOOL for boolean, CHAR for character, and STRING for strings.
Describe the difference between 'IF' and 'CASE' in ALGOL 68-R+.
'IF' is used to perform a test and execute a block of code if the test is true, while 'CASE' is used to select one of many blocks of code to be executed.
How would you define a function in ALGOL 68-R+?
A function in ALGOL 68-R+ is defined using the 'PROC' keyword, followed by the function name, parameters, and return type. The function body is enclosed in 'BEGIN' and 'END'.
What are the control structures available in ALGOL 68-R+?
ALGOL 68-R+ provides several control structures such as 'IF', 'CASE', 'FOR', 'WHILE', and 'UNTIL'.
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What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate have a solid understanding of ALGOL 68-R+?
Can the candidate demonstrate problem-solving skills?
Is the candidate able to communicate effectively about complex technical topics?
Does the candidate show a willingness to learn and adapt?

Next 20 minutes

Specific ALGOL 68-R+ 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 'FOR' and 'WHILE' loops in ALGOL 68-R+.
'FOR' loop is used when the number of iterations is known in advance, while 'WHILE' loop is used when the number of iterations is not known and depends on a condition.
How would you handle exceptions in ALGOL 68-R+?
ALGOL 68-R+ does not have built-in support for exception handling. Error conditions must be checked and handled manually in the code.
What are the different ways to pass parameters to a function in ALGOL 68-R+?
Parameters can be passed to a function in ALGOL 68-R+ by value or by reference. By value means the function receives a copy of the value, and by reference means the function receives a pointer to the original variable.
Describe the difference between local and global variables in ALGOL 68-R+.
Local variables are declared within a function and can only be accessed within that function. Global variables are declared outside all functions and can be accessed by any function in the program.
How would you implement recursion in ALGOL 68-R+?
Recursion in ALGOL 68-R+ is implemented by having a function call itself. Care must be taken to ensure that the recursion has a base case to prevent infinite recursion.
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The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the ALGOL 68-R+ engineer at this point.

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

What does this simple ALGOL 68-R+ code do?
BEGIN
  INT x := 5;
  INT y := 10;
  PRINT((x + y), new line);
END
This code declares two integer variables x and y, assigns them the values 5 and 10 respectively, and then prints the sum of these two variables followed by a new line.
What will be the output of this ALGOL 68-R+ code?
BEGIN
  REAL x := 5.0;
  REAL y := 2.0;
  PRINT((x / y), new line);
END
This code will print out the result of the division of x by y, which is 2.5.
What does this ALGOL 68-R+ code for array manipulation do?
BEGIN
  INT array[3] := (1, 2, 3);
  FOR i FROM LWB array TO UPB array DO
    PRINT((array[i]), new line)
  OD
END
This code declares an array of three integers, assigns them the values 1, 2, and 3 respectively, and then prints each value in the array on a new line.
How does this ALGOL 68-R+ code handle threading?
BEGIN
  SEMA s := INIT SEMA(1);
  PROC start thread = (INT i) VOID:
    BEGIN
      DOWN(s);
      PRINT((i), new line);
      UP(s)
    END;
  start thread(1);
  start thread(2);
END
This code declares a semaphore with a count of 1. It then defines a procedure to start a thread that prints an integer. The semaphore ensures that the print statements from different threads do not overlap.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for ALGOL 68-R+ 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-R+ 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-R+?
ALGOL 68-R+ provides several types of operators such as arithmetic operators, relational operators, logical operators, and bitwise operators.
Describe the difference between 'AND' and 'OR' operators in ALGOL 68-R+.
'AND' operator returns true if both operands are true, while 'OR' operator returns true if either or both operands are true.
How would you perform file I/O operations in ALGOL 68-R+?
File I/O operations in ALGOL 68-R+ are performed using the 'open', 'read', 'write', and 'close' procedures. The 'open' procedure is used to open a file, 'read' to read from it, 'write' to write to it, and 'close' to close it.

ALGOL 68-R+ application related

Product Perfect's ALGOL 68-R+ development capabilities

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