Product Perfect

ALGOL 68C+ is a historically significant computer programming language, derived from ALGOL 68, a language developed by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) in the late 1960s. The "C" in ALGOL 68C+ stands for "Cambridge," as it was developed at the University of Cambridge Mathematical Laboratory in the UK. This language is known for its strong typing, block structures, and operator precedence, which influenced many subsequent languages. It was primarily used for system programming and numerical computations. The development and use of ALGOL 68C+ played a crucial role in the evolution of modern programming paradigms.

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

First 20 minutes

General ALGOL 68C+ app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in ALGOL 68C+ 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 68C+?

ALGOL 68C+ is a high-level programming language that supports structured programming, has a strong static and dynamic typing, and allows for recursion. It also has a rich set of data types including arrays, records, and unions.

How would you declare a variable in ALGOL 68C+?

In ALGOL 68C+, you declare a variable using the INT keyword for integer type, REAL for real numbers, and BOOL for boolean values. For example, 'INT number;' declares an integer variable named number.

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

'INT' is used to declare an integer variable, while 'REAL' is used to declare a variable that can hold a real number, which includes both integers and floating-point numbers.

What are the control structures available in ALGOL 68C+?

ALGOL 68C+ supports several control structures including conditional (IF-THEN-ELSE), case selection (CASE), looping (FOR, WHILE, DO), and exception handling (CATCH, THROW).

How would you define a function in ALGOL 68C+?

In ALGOL 68C+, a function is defined using the PROC keyword, followed by the function name, parameters, and body. For example, 'PROC square = (INT x)INT: x*x;' defines a function named square that takes an integer parameter and returns its square.

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 have a solid understanding of ALGOL 68C+?

Has the candidate demonstrated problem-solving skills?

How well does the candidate understand data structures and algorithms?

Does the candidate have experience with version control systems like Git?

Next 20 minutes

Specific ALGOL 68C+ 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 is the purpose of the 'MODE' keyword in ALGOL 68C+?

The 'MODE' keyword in ALGOL 68C+ is used to define a new data type. For example, 'MODE VECTOR = [3]REAL;' defines a new data type VECTOR that is an array of three real numbers.

How would you handle exceptions in ALGOL 68C+?

Exceptions in ALGOL 68C+ are handled using the CATCH and THROW keywords. You can THROW an exception with a specific value, and then CATCH it in a different part of the program to handle it.

Describe the difference between 'PRIO' and 'OP' in ALGOL 68C+.

'PRIO' is used to define the precedence of operators, while 'OP' is used to define new operators. For example, 'PRIO power = 3;' sets the precedence of the power operator to 3, and 'OP power = (REAL x, INT y)REAL: ...;' defines a new operator named power.

What are the different types of loops in ALGOL 68C+ and how would you use them?

ALGOL 68C+ supports FOR, WHILE, and DO loops. A FOR loop is used for iterating a specific number of times, a WHILE loop is used for iterating as long as a condition is true, and a DO loop is used for iterating until a condition becomes true.

How would you use arrays in ALGOL 68C+?

In ALGOL 68C+, arrays are declared using square brackets. For example, 'INT numbers[10];' declares an array of 10 integers. You can access an array element using its index, for example, 'numbers[0] = 1;' sets the first element of the array to 1.

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

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

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

What does this simple ALGOL 68C+ 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' which is 15.
What will be the output of this ALGOL 68C+ code?
BEGIN
  REAL x := 10.5;
  REAL y := 2.5;
  PRINT((x / y), new line)
END
This code declares two real variables 'x' and 'y', assigns them the values 10.5 and 2.5 respectively, and then prints the result of 'x' divided by 'y' which is 4.2.
What does this ALGOL 68C+ code do with the array?
BEGIN
  INT array[5] := (1, 2, 3, 4, 5);
  FOR i FROM LWB array TO UPB array DO
    PRINT((array[i] * 2), new line)
  OD
END
This code declares an array of 5 integers, assigns them the values from 1 to 5, and then prints each element of the array multiplied by 2.
What does this ALGOL 68C+ code do related to threading?
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 creates a semaphore 's' with an initial value of 1. It then starts two concurrent threads. Each thread will try to acquire the semaphore before printing its thread number and then release the semaphore. This ensures that the threads do not print simultaneously.

Wrap-up questions

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

What is the purpose of the 'CO' keyword in ALGOL 68C+?

The 'CO' keyword in ALGOL 68C+ is used to define a coroutine, which is a generalization of a function that can be exited and later re-entered at the same point.

How would you use recursion in ALGOL 68C+?

In ALGOL 68C+, you can use recursion by having a function call itself. For example, the factorial function can be defined recursively as 'PROC factorial = (INT n)INT: (n = 0 | 1, TRUE | n * factorial(n - 1));'.

Describe the difference between 'LOC' and 'HEAP' in ALGOL 68C+.

'LOC' and 'HEAP' are used to allocate memory in ALGOL 68C+. 'LOC' allocates memory on the stack, which is automatically freed when the function exits, while 'HEAP' allocates memory on the heap, which persists until it is explicitly freed.

ALGOL 68C+ application related

Product Perfect's ALGOL 68C+ development capabilities

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

ALGOL 68C+ Consultive assessments

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

Custom ALGOL 68C+ development projects

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

Hiring guide for ALGOL 68C+ Engineers

ALGOL 68C+ 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 68C+ engineer at this point.

ALGOL 68C+ Consultive assessments

Custom ALGOL 68C+ development projects