Product Perfect

Pike is a dynamic, object-oriented programming language developed in the mid-1990s by Fredrik Hübinette at Linköping University, Sweden. It is open-source and primarily used for network applications and web services due to its efficient handling of protocols. Pike's syntax bears similarities to C and Java, making it accessible for programmers familiar with these languages. Notably, Roxen Webserver and the game World of Warcraft utilize Pike in their systems. The language continues to evolve under an active development community, as detailed on the official Pike website (pike.lysator.liu.se).

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

First 20 minutes

General Pike app knowledge and experience

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

What are the basic data types in Pike?

The basic data types in Pike are int, float, string, array, mapping, multiset, object, function, program, and mixed.

How would you declare a variable in Pike?

In Pike, you declare a variable by specifying its type followed by the variable name. For example, 'int myVariable;' declares an integer variable named myVariable.

What is the purpose of the 'mixed' data type in Pike?

The 'mixed' data type in Pike is used when the type of data is not known or can vary. It can hold any type of data.

How would you define a function in Pike?

In Pike, you define a function using the 'void' keyword followed by the function name and parentheses. For example, 'void myFunction() { // function body }'.

Describe the difference between an array and a mapping in Pike.

An array in Pike is an ordered collection of elements that are indexed by integers. A mapping, on the other hand, is a collection of key-value pairs where the keys can be of any type.

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What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate have a strong understanding of Pike programming language?

Has the candidate demonstrated problem-solving skills?

Is the candidate able to communicate effectively?

Does the candidate have experience with relevant tools and technologies?

Next 20 minutes

Specific Pike 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.

How would you handle exceptions in Pike?

In Pike, exceptions are handled using the catch statement. The code that might throw an exception is placed inside a try block, and any exceptions are caught and handled in the catch block.

What is the purpose of the 'this' keyword in Pike?

The 'this' keyword in Pike is used inside a method to refer to the current instance of the class.

How would you create a class in Pike?

In Pike, you create a class using the 'class' keyword followed by the class name and a pair of curly braces. For example, 'class MyClass { // class body }'.

What is inheritance in Pike and how is it implemented?

Inheritance in Pike is a mechanism where one class can inherit properties and methods from another class. It is implemented using the ':' operator. For example, 'class ChildClass : ParentClass { // class body }'.

How would you perform file I/O operations in Pike?

File I/O operations in Pike are performed using the File object. You can create a new File object with the file path as the argument, and then use methods like 'read', 'write', and 'close' to perform I/O operations.

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

What does the following Pike code do?
int x = 10; int y = 20; int z = x + y;
This code declares two integer variables x and y, assigns them the values 10 and 20 respectively, and then adds these two values together and assigns the result to a third integer variable z.
What will be the output of the following Pike code?
string str = "Hello, World!"; write(str[7..11]);
The output of this code will be 'World'. The code is using Pike's slice operator to extract a substring from the string str starting at index 7 and ending at index 11.
What does the following Pike code do?
array(int) arr = ({1, 2, 3, 4, 5}); arr = arr[1..<1];
This code declares an array of integers, assigns it the values 1 through 5, and then uses Pike's slice operator to remove the first and last elements of the array. The resulting array will be {2, 3, 4}.
What does the following Pike code do?
Thread t = Thread()->create(lambda() { write("Hello, World!"); }); t->start();
This code creates a new thread that executes a lambda function which prints 'Hello, World!' to the console. The thread is then started.

Wrap-up questions

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

Describe the difference between public, private, and protected access modifiers in Pike.

In Pike, public members are accessible from any part of the program, private members are only accessible within the class they are declared, and protected members are accessible within the class and its subclasses.

What are Pike modules and how would you use them?

Pike modules are reusable pieces of code that can be imported into other Pike programs. You can use a Pike module by including it with the '#include' directive followed by the module name in quotes.

How would you implement multithreading in Pike?

Multithreading in Pike is implemented using the Thread module. You can create a new thread by creating a new instance of the Thread class and passing a function to its constructor.

Pike application related

Product Perfect's Pike development capabilities

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

Pike Consultive assessments

Pike Application Conversion Assessment Pike Application Integration Assessment Pike Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom Pike development projects

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

Hiring guide for Pike Engineers

Pike Developer Hiring Guide

What you’re looking for early on

The ideal back-end app developer

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

Pike Consultive assessments

Custom Pike development projects