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Ask the right questions to secure the right ALGOL 58 talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.
ALGOL 58, also known as the International Algebraic Language, was one of the earliest high-level programming languages, developed jointly by a committee of European and American computer scientists in 1958. It was designed to allow scientists to express their problems in a way that resembles mathematical notation. The language significantly influenced many later languages like ALGOL 60, Pascal, and C. ALGOL 58 introduced block structure for programs and lexical scoping of variables and subroutines. Its development is documented in the historical reports of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP).
The next 20 minutes of the interview should attempt to focus more specifically on the development questions used, and the level of depth and skill the engineer possesses.
A function in ALGOL 58 is defined using the 'procedure' keyword, followed by the function name, parameters, and the function body. For example, 'procedure add(x, y); begin real result; result := x + y; return result; end;'.
ALGOL 58 supports two main data types: real numbers and integers.
ALGOL 60 introduced several improvements over ALGOL 58, including the addition of 'for' loops, 'if-then-else' statements, and the removal of the 'own' keyword. ALGOL 60 also introduced the concept of 'call by name'.
In ALGOL 58, a variable is declared using the keyword 'real' or 'integer' followed by the variable name. For example, 'real x;' or 'integer count;'.
ALGOL 58, also known as IAL, is characterized by its block structure, lexical scoping, recursion, and the separation of the language into two parts - the core language and the standard library.
This can indicate good communication skills, which are important for working with a team and stakeholders.
Problem-solving is a key skill for developers, as they will often need to find solutions to complex issues.
Experience with similar languages can indicate a broader understanding of programming concepts.
Software development often involves working in teams, so good teamwork skills are important.
Debugging is a critical skill for any developer, and it's important that they can handle this in ALGOL 58.
A strong understanding of ALGOL 58 is crucial as it's the primary language they will be working with.
The next 20 minutes of the interview should attempt to focus more specifically on the development questions used, and the level of depth and skill the engineer possesses.
ALGOL 58 does not have built-in support for exception handling. Error conditions would have to be checked and handled manually in the code.
ALGOL 58 uses lexical scoping, which means that a variable's scope is determined by its position in the source code, and nested functions have access to variables declared in their outer scope. This is different from dynamic scoping, where a variable's scope is determined by the execution context.
Arrays in ALGOL 58 are declared using the 'array' keyword followed by the array dimensions. For example, 'array A[1:10];'. Elements can be accessed using their index, for example 'A[5]'.
ALGOL 58 provides several control structures including 'if-then', 'go to', and 'while-do'.
Recursion in ALGOL 58 can be implemented by having a procedure call itself. For example, a recursive procedure to calculate factorial could be written as 'procedure factorial(n); begin if n = 0 then return 1; else return n * factorial(n - 1); end;'.
A skilled ALGOL 58 engineer should demonstrate a deep understanding of the language's syntax and structure, ability to solve complex problems, and knowledge of its historical context in computer programming. Red flags include inability to articulate concepts clearly and lack of practical experience with the language.
begin integer x; x := 5; print(x); endbegin integer x, y; x := 5; y := 10; print(x + y); endbegin integer array a[1:5]; integer i; for i := 1 step 1 until 5 do a[i] := i; print(a); endbegin own integer x; x := 0; parbegin integer i; for i := 1 step 1 until 5 do x := x + i; print(x); parend endbegin own record person(name, age); person.name := 'John'; person.age := 30; print(person); endbegin integer array a[1:5]; integer i; for i := 1 step 1 until 5 do a[i] := i; integer sum; sum := 0; for i := 1 step 1 until 5 do sum := sum + a[i]; print(sum); endThe final few interview questions for a ALGOL 58 candidate should typically focus on a combination of technical skills, personal goals, growth potential, team dynamics, and company culture.
Key considerations would include understanding the original design and intent of the code, ensuring compatibility with modern systems, and dealing with the lack of support and resources for ALGOL 58.
Debugging an ALGOL 58 program would involve using a debugger that supports ALGOL 58, or using print statements to track the program's execution.
In pass by value, the actual value of the argument is passed to the function, while in pass by name, a reference to the argument is passed. ALGOL 58 supports both, but pass by name was introduced in ALGOL 60.
Optimization in ALGOL 58 would involve techniques such as minimizing the use of expensive operations, reducing the number of function calls, and optimizing data structures and algorithms.
Some limitations of ALGOL 58 include lack of support for string manipulation, no built-in file I/O operations, and no support for exception handling.
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