Dylan Developer Hiring Guide

Hiring Guide for Dylan Engineers

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

Dylan is a multi-paradigm programming language, created by Apple Inc. and Carnegie Mellon University during the early 1990s. Named after the poet Dylan Thomas, it was intended to be a high-level language for the Macintosh operating system (Cannon, 1995). The language supports object-oriented programming, functional programming and has a dynamic typing system. Unfortunately, despite its innovative features, Dylan never gained widespread use due to its complex syntax and the rise of Java (Shivers, 2010). Nevertheless, it remains an influential piece in the history of computer software programming languages.

First 20 minutes

General Dylan 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 are the control structures available in Dylan?

Dylan provides several control structures including: if, if-else, unless, while, for, foreach, block, and method.

How would you create a function in Dylan?

In Dylan, functions are created using the 'define method' keyword followed by the function name, parameters, and body. For example, 'define method add (x, y) x + y end method;' creates a function named 'add' which takes two parameters x and y and returns their sum.

Describe the difference between '==' and '===' in Dylan.

In Dylan, '==' is used for equality checking, it checks if the values of two operands are equal or not. On the other hand, '===' checks for identity, it checks if two operands refer to the same object.

What are the basic data types in Dylan?

Dylan supports several basic data types including: integer, float, boolean, character, string, symbol, pair, and null.

How would you declare a variable in Dylan?

In Dylan, you declare a variable using the 'let' keyword, followed by the variable name and its value. For example, 'let x = 5;' denotes that x is a variable with the value of 5.

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

Is the candidate able to work under pressure and meet deadlines?

In a development environment, meeting project deadlines and working under pressure is often a part of the job. Their ability to handle this is crucial.

Has the candidate shown that they can learn new technologies quickly?

Technology is always evolving, so it's important that they can pick up new tools and technologies quickly to stay current.

Is the candidate able to discuss their past projects using Dylan?

This illustrates their practical experience with Dylan, which is important for their ability to contribute to your projects.

Can the candidate communicate effectively?

Good communication skills are needed to work in a team, understand project requirements, and explain complex concepts.

Does the candidate show problem-solving skills?

Problem-solving is essential in programming. They should be able to analyze, dissect, and find solutions to complex problems.

Has the candidate demonstrated a solid understanding of Dylan programming language?

This is critical because Dylan is the primary language they will be working with. They should be able to discuss its syntax, structure, and use cases.

Next 20 minutes

Specific Dylan 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 create a class in Dylan?

In Dylan, a class is created using the 'define class' keyword, followed by the class name, its superclasses, and its slots. For example, 'define class point (object) slot x, y; end class point;' creates a class named 'point' with two slots x and y.

Describe the difference between 'let' and 'let*' in Dylan.

'let' and 'let*' are used to declare variables in Dylan. The difference is that 'let' allows you to declare multiple variables at once, while 'let*' declares variables one at a time in sequential order, allowing each declaration to use the value of the previous declarations.

What are macros in Dylan and how would you use them?

Macros in Dylan are a way to define reusable pieces of code. They are defined using the 'define macro' keyword and can be used just like functions.

How would you handle exceptions in Dylan?

In Dylan, exceptions are handled using the 'block' and 'exception' keywords. 'block' is used to define a block of code where an exception can occur, and 'exception' is used to catch and handle the exception.

Describe the difference between a 'method' and a 'function' in Dylan.

In Dylan, a 'method' is a named sequence of statements which may take parameters and return a value. A 'function' on the other hand is a special kind of method which does not have an associated object.

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 Dylan engineer at this point.

A skilled Dylan engineer should demonstrate proficiency in Dylan programming language, problem-solving skills, and a strong understanding of software development principles. Red flags might include inability to explain complex concepts clearly or lack of experience in collaborative working environments.

Digging deeper

Code questions

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

What does this simple Dylan code do?

define method hello-world ()
  format-out("Hello, World!\n");
end method;

This code defines a method called 'hello-world' that prints 'Hello, World!' to the console.

What does this Dylan code do?

let x = 10;
if (x > 5)
  format-out("x is greater than 5\n");
else
  format-out("x is not greater than 5\n");
end if;

This code declares a variable 'x' with value 10, and then checks if 'x' is greater than 5. If 'x' is greater than 5, it prints 'x is greater than 5', otherwise it prints 'x is not greater than 5'.

What does this Dylan code do?

define method sum-array (arr :: )
  reduce(+, arr, 0);
end method;

This code defines a method 'sum-array' that takes a sequence 'arr' as an argument and returns the sum of all elements in the array.

What does this Dylan code do?

define class  ()
  slot count, init-value: 0;
end class;
define method increment! (c :: )
  set! (c.count, c.count + 1);
end method;

This code defines a class 'counter' with a slot 'count' initialized to 0. It also defines a method 'increment!' that increments the 'count' of a 'counter' object by 1.

What will be the output of this Dylan code?

define method print-numbers ()
  for (i from 1 to 5)
    format-out("%d\n", i);
  end for;
end method;
print-numbers();

This code will print the numbers 1 to 5, each on a new line.

What does this Dylan code do?

define method factorial (n :: )
  if (n = 0)
    1;
  else
    n * factorial(n - 1);
  end if;
end method;

This code defines a recursive method 'factorial' that calculates the factorial of an integer 'n'.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for Dylan role questions

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

Describe the difference between 'singleton' and 'prototype' in Dylan.

In Dylan, a 'singleton' is a class that only has one instance, while a 'prototype' is an instance of a class that serves as a template for creating other instances. 'singleton' is used when you need a single, shared instance of a class, while 'prototype' is used when you need to create multiple similar instances.

What are the different types of collections in Dylan and how would you use them?

Dylan provides several types of collections including: arrays, lists, sets, tables, and sequences. They are used to store and manipulate groups of data.

How would you implement inheritance in Dylan?

In Dylan, inheritance is implemented by defining a new class with one or more existing classes as its superclasses. The new class inherits all the slots and methods of its superclasses.

Describe the difference between 'seal' and 'unseal' in Dylan.

In Dylan, 'seal' is used to prevent further modifications to a module or class, while 'unseal' allows modifications. Once a module or class is sealed, you cannot add or remove slots or methods, but with 'unseal' you can.

What are slots in Dylan?

Slots in Dylan are variables that are associated with instances of a class. They hold the state of an object.

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

Dylan application related

Product Perfect's Dylan development capabilities

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