Boo Developer Hiring Guide

Hiring Guide for Boo Engineers

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

Boo is a statically typed, imperative, object-oriented programming language created by Christian Schwartz in 1999. Boo is designed to be a simple, modern, and safe language that is easy to learn and use. It is also designed to be interoperable with C# and the .NET Framework. Boo was originally developed by Microsoft Research, but was later open-sourced and released under the MIT license.

First 20 minutes

General Boo knowledge and experience

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.

What is the use of the 'yield' keyword in Boo?

The 'yield' keyword in Boo is used to define a generator, which is a special kind of function that can be paused and resumed, allowing it to produce a sequence of results instead of a single value.

How would you implement a class in Boo?

In Boo, a class can be implemented using the 'class' keyword followed by the class name and indented block of code.

Describe the difference between static typing and dynamic typing in Boo.

In static typing, the type is checked at compile-time whereas in dynamic typing, the type is checked at runtime. Boo supports both static and dynamic typing.

What are the key features of Boo programming language?

Boo has key features such as type inference, closures, duck typing, generators, and built-in syntax for lists and dictionaries.

How would you define Boo programming language?

Boo is a statically typed, object-oriented language for the Common Language Infrastructure with a Python-inspired syntax.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

What youre looking for early-on

Does the candidate seem passionate about the role?

Passion can be a good indicator of their dedication and commitment to the role, which can lead to better performance.

Has the candidate shown a capacity for learning and adapting?

The tech industry is always changing, so it's important that they are able to learn and adapt to new technologies and practices.

Does the candidate have experience with similar projects?

Experience with similar projects can be a good indicator of their ability to successfully complete the tasks required in this role.

Is the candidate able to communicate effectively?

Good communication skills are important in any role, but especially in development where they may need to explain complex concepts to non-technical team members.

Has the candidate demonstrated problem-solving skills?

Problem-solving skills are crucial in development roles, as they will often need to find solutions to complex coding issues.

Does the candidate have a strong understanding of Boo language?

A strong understanding of Boo language is essential for the role, as it is the primary tool they will be using.

Next 20 minutes

Specific Boo development questions

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.

How would you use list comprehensions in Boo?

List comprehensions in Boo can be used to create lists based on existing lists. They are defined using the 'for' keyword inside square brackets.

What is the difference between '==' and 'is' operators in Boo?

'==' is used to compare the values of two objects, while 'is' is used to check if two references point to the same object.

How would you implement inheritance in Boo?

In Boo, inheritance can be implemented by defining a class that extends another class using the 'extends' keyword.

What is the purpose of the 'duck' keyword in Boo?

The 'duck' keyword in Boo is used for duck typing, which allows an object's suitability for an operation to be determined by its actual runtime properties rather than its static type.

How would you handle exceptions in Boo?

Exceptions in Boo can be handled using 'try', 'except', 'else', and 'ensure' blocks, similar to Python's try-except-finally construct.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

The ideal back-end app developer

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

A skilled Boo engineer should demonstrate proficiency in Boo language, problem-solving abilities, and strong communication skills. Red flags include lack of knowledge on basic Boo concepts, inability to articulate thoughts clearly, or poor problem-solving techniques.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with Boo.

What does the following Boo code do?

print 'Hello, World!'

This code prints the string 'Hello, World!' to the console.

What will be the output of the following Boo code?

a = 5
b = 10
print a + b

The output of this code will be 15, which is the sum of the variables a and b.

What does the following Boo code do?

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print numbers[2]

This code creates an array named numbers and then prints the third element of the array, which is the number 3.

What does the following Boo code do?

import System.Threading

thread = Thread(Run)
thread.Start()

def Run():
    print 'Running in a separate thread.'

This code creates a new thread and starts it. The new thread runs the Run function, which prints 'Running in a separate thread.' to the console.

What does the following Boo code do?

class Person:
    def constructor(name):
        self.Name = name

person = Person('John')
print person.Name

This code defines a class named Person with a constructor that takes a name parameter. It then creates an instance of the Person class with the name 'John' and prints the name of the person to the console.

What will be the output of the following Boo code?

def factorial(n):
    if n == 0:
        return 1
    else:
        return n * factorial(n - 1)

print factorial(5)

The output of this code will be 120, which is the factorial of 5. The factorial function is a recursive function that multiplies the input number by the factorial of the number minus one, until it reaches zero.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for Boo role questions

The final few interview questions for a Boo candidate should typically focus on a combination of technical skills, personal goals, growth potential, team dynamics, and company culture.

What is the purpose of the 'assembly' keyword in Boo?

The 'assembly' keyword in Boo is used to define assembly-level attributes, which provide information about the assembly such as its title, description, and version.

How would you use the 'macro' feature in Boo?

Macros in Boo are used to extend the language by adding new syntax or semantics. They are defined using the 'macro' keyword and can be used like regular functions.

What is the difference between a struct and a class in Boo?

The main difference is that a struct is a value type and a class is a reference type. Also, a struct does not support inheritance, while a class does.

How would you implement polymorphism in Boo?

Polymorphism in Boo can be implemented by defining a base class with a method to be overridden, and a derived class that overrides the method.

What is the purpose of the 'as' keyword in Boo?

The 'as' keyword in Boo is used for type casting, which allows an object of one type to be treated as an object of another type.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Boo application related

Product Perfect's Boo development capabilities

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