Product Perfect

ISLISP is a computer programming language, recognized as an international standard by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Developed in 1997, it is a dialect of the Lisp programming language, known for its simplicity and flexibility. The language was designed by a committee of international experts under the ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 22/WG 16 jurisdiction. ISLISP's primary goal was to promote software portability and longevity, ensuring that the programs written in it can be used on any system. Its specifications and features are detailed in the ISO/IEC 13816:1997 standard.

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

First 20 minutes

General ISLISP app knowledge and experience

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

How would you define ISLISP?

ISLISP is a standardization of the Lisp programming language, which is designed to promote the portability of user programs across different Lisp systems.

What are the basic data types in ISLISP?

The basic data types in ISLISP include integers, floating point numbers, characters, symbols, lists, vectors, and functions.

How would you declare a variable in ISLISP?

In ISLISP, you can declare a variable using the 'let' keyword. For example, '(let ((x 10)) x)' declares a variable x with the value 10.

What are the control structures available in ISLISP?

ISLISP provides several control structures such as conditional statements (if, cond), looping constructs (do, dolist, dotimes), and exception handling constructs (catch, throw).

How would you define a function in ISLISP?

A function in ISLISP can be defined using the 'defun' keyword. For example, '(defun square (x) (* x x))' defines a function that squares its input.

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 ISLISP?

Has the candidate demonstrated problem-solving skills?

Is there evidence of the candidate's ability to work within a team?

Can the candidate communicate complex ideas effectively?

Next 20 minutes

Specific ISLISP 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 'let' and 'setq' in ISLISP.

'Let' is used to declare local variables, whereas 'setq' is used to set the value of an existing variable. 'Let' creates a new variable each time it is executed, while 'setq' modifies the value of an existing variable.

How would you handle exceptions in ISLISP?

Exceptions in ISLISP can be handled using the 'catch' and 'throw' constructs. 'Catch' establishes a new exception handler, and 'throw' signals an exception.

What is the role of the 'cons' function in ISLISP?

The 'cons' function is used to construct a new list from two arguments. It creates a new pair with the first argument as the car (first element) and the second argument as the cdr (rest of the list).

How would you implement recursion in ISLISP?

Recursion in ISLISP can be implemented by having a function call itself. For example, the factorial function can be defined recursively as '(defun factorial (n) (if (<= n 1) 1 (* n (factorial (- n 1)))))'.

Describe the difference between 'equal' and 'eq' in ISLISP.

'Eq' tests whether two symbols or numbers are the same, while 'equal' tests for equality of structure. For example, two lists are 'equal' if they contain the same elements, but they are not 'eq' unless they are the same physical object.

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

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

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

What does this simple ISLISP code do?
(defun add (x y) (+ x y))
This code defines a function named 'add' that takes two arguments, x and y, and returns their sum.
What does this ISLISP code do?
(let ((x 5) (y 10)) (* x y))
This code declares two local variables, x and y, assigns them the values 5 and 10 respectively, and then multiplies them together.
What will be the output of this ISLISP code?
(mapcar #'(lambda (x) (* x x)) '(1 2 3 4 5))
This code applies the anonymous function, which squares its input, to each element of the list (1 2 3 4 5). The output will be a list of the squares of the numbers 1 through 5, i.e., (1 4 9 16 25).
What does this ISLISP code do?
(defun counter () (let ((x 0)) (lambda () (setq x (+ x 1)))))
This code defines a function named 'counter' that, when called, returns a function (a closure) that increments a local variable 'x' each time it is called.

Wrap-up questions

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

What are the higher-order functions in ISLISP?

Higher-order functions in ISLISP are functions that can take other functions as arguments or return functions as results. Examples include 'map', 'reduce', and 'filter'.

How would you implement a map function in ISLISP?

A map function in ISLISP can be implemented using the 'mapcar' function. For example, '(mapcar 'square '(1 2 3 4))' applies the 'square' function to each element of the list.

Describe the difference between 'eval' and 'apply' in ISLISP.

'Eval' takes a single argument, which is an expression to be evaluated, while 'apply' takes a function and a list of arguments to which the function should be applied.

ISLISP application related

Product Perfect's ISLISP development capabilities

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

ISLISP Consultive assessments

ISLISP Application Conversion Assessment ISLISP Application Integration Assessment ISLISP Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom ISLISP development projects

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

Hiring guide for ISLISP Engineers

ISLISP Developer Hiring Guide

What you’re looking for early on

The ideal back-end app developer

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

ISLISP Consultive assessments

Custom ISLISP development projects