Flow-Matic Developer Hiring Guide

Hiring Guide for Flow-Matic Engineers

Ask the right questions to secure the right Flow-Matic talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

Flow-Matic, developed in the mid-1950s by Grace Hopper at Remington Rand, was the first English-like data processing language. It was designed for UNIVAC I and II systems, marking a significant shift from machine code to human-readable code. The language introduced concepts such as conditional statements, looping, and the use of variables. Flow-Matic heavily influenced the development of COBOL, one of the earliest high-level programming languages. This information is sourced from historical documentation and records from Remington Rand and the Computer History Museum.

First 20 minutes

General Flow-Matic 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 limitations of Flow-Matic?

Flow-Matic has several limitations, including its lack of support for modern programming concepts like object-oriented programming and its limited use in modern computing environments.

How would you write a simple program in Flow-Matic?

Flow-Matic uses English-like syntax, so a simple program might look something like this: 'INPUT INVENTORY, OUTPUT REPORT, HAVING QUANTITY.'

Describe the difference between Flow-Matic and COBOL.

Flow-Matic and COBOL are similar in many ways, as COBOL was largely based on Flow-Matic. However, COBOL has more features and is more widely used. Flow-Matic is considered a precursor to COBOL.

What are the key features of Flow-Matic?

Flow-Matic's key features include its English-like syntax, its ability to handle large volumes of data, and its focus on business data processing.

How would you define Flow-Matic?

Flow-Matic is a high-level programming language developed by Grace Hopper and her team at Remington Rand in the 1950s. It was the first English-like data processing language and was a precursor to COBOL.

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What youre looking for early-on

Does the candidate show enthusiasm for the role and the company?

This can indicate that they will be motivated and committed to their work.

Is the candidate able to learn and adapt quickly?

This is important because technology and programming languages evolve quickly.

Does the candidate have experience with similar projects or tasks?

This can indicate that they will be able to hit the ground running and contribute quickly.

Can the candidate communicate effectively about technical concepts?

This is necessary for team collaboration and to ensure they can explain their work to non-technical stakeholders.

Has the candidate demonstrated problem-solving skills?

This is important because developers often need to troubleshoot and solve complex problems.

Does the candidate have a solid understanding of Flow-Matic language?

This is crucial because Flow-Matic is the primary language they will be working with.

Next 20 minutes

Specific Flow-Matic 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 optimize a Flow-Matic program?

Optimizing a Flow-Matic program would involve carefully reviewing the program's logic and making adjustments to improve efficiency, such as reducing redundant operations.

Describe the difference between Flow-Matic's data types and those of modern programming languages.

Flow-Matic supports a limited number of data types, while modern programming languages support a wide range of data types, including complex data structures and objects.

What are the data types supported by Flow-Matic?

Flow-Matic supports a limited number of data types, including numeric and alphanumeric data.

How would you handle errors in Flow-Matic?

Flow-Matic does not have built-in error handling features like modern programming languages. Errors would need to be handled manually by checking the output and adjusting the program as necessary.

Describe the difference between Flow-Matic and modern programming languages.

Flow-Matic is a high-level, English-like data processing language, while modern programming languages are more versatile and support a wider range of programming concepts.

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The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the Flow-Matic engineer at this point.

A skilled Flow-Matic engineer should possess strong problem-solving abilities, in-depth knowledge of Flow-Matic programming and excellent communication skills. Red flags could include a lack of specific examples when discussing past projects or inability to explain complex concepts clearly.

Digging deeper

Code questions

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

What does this simple Flow-Matic code do?

(START) READ ITEM, PRICE, QUANTITY; MULTIPLY PRICE BY QUANTITY GIVING TOTAL; WRITE ITEM, TOTAL; (END)

This code reads the values of ITEM, PRICE, and QUANTITY, then multiplies the PRICE by the QUANTITY to get the TOTAL. It then outputs the ITEM and the TOTAL.

What will be the output of this Flow-Matic code?

(START) READ A, B; IF A GREATER THAN B THEN WRITE A ELSE WRITE B; (END)

This code reads the values of A and B, then checks if A is greater than B. If A is greater, it outputs A. If B is greater or equal to A, it outputs B.

What does this Flow-Matic code do with the array?

(START) READ ARRAY; FOR EACH ELEMENT IN ARRAY DO WRITE ELEMENT; (END)

This code reads an array and then writes out each element in the array one by one.

What does this Flow-Matic code do with concurrent operations?

(START) READ A, B; IN PARALLEL DO MULTIPLY A BY B GIVING C; ADD A TO B GIVING D; (END)

This code reads the values of A and B. Then, it concurrently multiplies A by B to get C and adds A to B to get D.

What does this Flow-Matic code do with class objects?

(START) READ OBJECT; IF OBJECT IS OF CLASS 'CAR' THEN WRITE OBJECT.MODEL; (END)

This code reads an object and checks if it's of the class 'CAR'. If it is, it writes the model of the car.

What will be the output of this advanced Flow-Matic code?

(START) READ A, B; IF A EQUALS B THEN WRITE 'EQUAL' ELSE IF A GREATER THAN B THEN WRITE 'A IS GREATER' ELSE WRITE 'B IS GREATER'; (END)

This code reads the values of A and B. If A is equal to B, it outputs 'EQUAL'. If A is greater than B, it outputs 'A IS GREATER'. If B is greater than A, it outputs 'B IS GREATER'.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for Flow-Matic role questions

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

How would you modernize a legacy system written in Flow-Matic?

Modernizing a legacy system written in Flow-Matic would likely involve rewriting the system in a modern programming language, while preserving the original system's functionality and data.

What are the challenges of working with Flow-Matic in a modern computing environment?

Challenges of working with Flow-Matic in a modern computing environment include its lack of support for modern programming concepts and its limited use and support in modern systems.

How would you debug a Flow-Matic program?

Debugging a Flow-Matic program would involve carefully reviewing the program's output and making adjustments to the program as necessary to correct any errors.

Describe the difference between Flow-Matic's approach to programming and that of procedural languages.

Flow-Matic is a high-level data processing language, while procedural languages use a step-by-step approach to programming, with a focus on procedures and routines.

What are the best practices for writing Flow-Matic code?

Best practices for writing Flow-Matic code include using clear, descriptive names for variables and operations, and organizing the program in a logical, easy-to-follow manner.

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Flow-Matic application related

Product Perfect's Flow-Matic development capabilities

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