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TECO (Text Editor and Corrector) is a historically significant computer programming language, first developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1960s. It was initially designed as a text editor but evolved into an early form of scripting language, enabling users to automate tasks. TECO's influence can be seen in Emacs, another popular text editor that originated from TECO macros. Despite its complexity and cryptic command syntax, it played an essential role in advancing computer programming languages' development. Information about TECO can be found on various historical computing resources such as "A Brief History of Computing" by Gerard O'Regan.

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

First 20 minutes

General TECO app knowledge and experience

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

What are the basic commands in TECO?

The basic commands in TECO include insert text commands, delete text commands, search commands, and file commands. For example, 'I' is used for inserting text, 'D' is used for deleting text, 'S' is used for searching text, and 'ER' is used for reading a file.

How would you insert text in TECO?

To insert text in TECO, you would use the 'I' command followed by the text you want to insert and then a delimiter like an escape character. For example, 'IHello World$' would insert the text 'Hello World'.

What does the 'D' command do in TECO?

The 'D' command in TECO is used to delete text. It can be used with a numeric argument to specify the number of characters to delete. For example, '5D' would delete the next 5 characters.

How would you search for a string in TECO?

To search for a string in TECO, you would use the 'S' command followed by the string you want to search for and then a delimiter. For example, 'SHello World$' would search for the string 'Hello World'.

What does the 'ER' command do in TECO?

The 'ER' command in TECO is used to read a file. It takes a file name as an argument. For example, 'ERmyfile.txt$' would read the file 'myfile.txt'.

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What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate demonstrate a strong understanding of TECO programming language?

Has the candidate shown problem-solving skills during the interview?

Is the candidate able to communicate effectively about technical concepts?

Does the candidate have relevant experience in similar roles or projects?

Next 20 minutes

Specific TECO 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 the 'EW' and 'EE' commands in TECO.

The 'EW' command in TECO is used to write to a file, while the 'EE' command is used to end the editing session. Both commands take a file name as an argument. For example, 'EWmyfile.txt$' would write to the file 'myfile.txt', and 'EEmyfile.txt$' would end the editing session and save the changes to 'myfile.txt'.

How would you replace a string in TECO?

To replace a string in TECO, you would use the 'FS' command followed by the string you want to replace, a delimiter, the replacement string, and another delimiter. For example, 'FSHello World$Goodbye World$' would replace 'Hello World' with 'Goodbye World'.

What does the 'J' command do in TECO?

The 'J' command in TECO is used to move the pointer to the beginning of the buffer. It does not take any arguments. For example, 'J' would move the pointer to the beginning of the buffer.

Describe the difference between the 'K' and 'L' commands in TECO.

The 'K' command in TECO is used to kill or delete the rest of the line from the current pointer position, while the 'L' command is used to move the pointer to the end of the line. For example, 'K' would delete the rest of the line from the current pointer position, and 'L' would move the pointer to the end of the line.

How would you move the pointer to a specific line in TECO?

To move the pointer to a specific line in TECO, you would use the 'G' command followed by the line number. For example, 'G5' would move the pointer to line 5.

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

What does the following code do?
{
  "firstName": "John",
  "lastName": "Doe"
}
This code defines a JSON object with two properties: firstName and lastName. The values of these properties are 'John' and 'Doe' respectively.
What will be the output of the following code?
{
  "employees":[
    {"firstName":"John", "lastName":"Doe"},
    {"firstName":"Anna", "lastName":"Smith"},
    {"firstName":"Peter", "lastName":"Jones"}
  ]
}
This code defines a JSON object with a single property 'employees'. The value of this property is an array of objects, each representing an employee with 'firstName' and 'lastName' properties.
What does the following code do?
{
  "books": [
    {"title": "Harry Potter", "author": "J.K. Rowling"},
    {"title": "Lord of the Rings", "author": "J.R.R. Tolkien"}
  ]
}
This code defines a JSON object with a single property 'books'. The value of this property is an array of objects, each representing a book with 'title' and 'author' properties.
What will be the output of the following code?
{
  "person": {
    "name": "John",
    "age": 30,
    "city": "New York"
  }
}
This code defines a JSON object with a single property 'person'. The value of this property is another object representing a person with 'name', 'age', and 'city' properties.

Wrap-up questions

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

What does the 'N' command do in TECO?

The 'N' command in TECO is used to search for the next occurrence of the last string searched for. It does not take any arguments. For example, 'N' would search for the next occurrence of the last string searched for.

Describe the difference between the 'P' and 'Q' commands in TECO.

The 'P' command in TECO is used to print the buffer, while the 'Q' command is used to query the value of a register. Both commands can take a numeric argument. For example, 'P' would print the buffer, and 'Q5' would query the value of register 5.

How would you set the value of a register in TECO?

To set the value of a register in TECO, you would use the 'U' command followed by the register number and the value. For example, 'U510' would set the value of register 5 to 10.

TECO application related

Product Perfect's TECO development capabilities

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

TECO Consultive assessments

TECO Application Conversion Assessment TECO Application Integration Assessment TECO Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom TECO development projects

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

Hiring guide for TECO Engineers

TECO Developer Hiring Guide

What you’re looking for early on

The ideal back-end app developer

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

TECO Consultive assessments

Custom TECO development projects