(START) READ ITEM, PRICE, QUANTITY; MULTIPLY PRICE BY QUANTITY GIVING TOTAL; WRITE ITEM, TOTAL; (END)
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.
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.
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.
Flow-Matic uses English-like syntax, so a simple program might look something like this: 'INPUT INVENTORY, OUTPUT REPORT, HAVING QUANTITY.'
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.
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.
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.
This can indicate that they will be motivated and committed to their work.
This is important because technology and programming languages evolve quickly.
This can indicate that they will be able to hit the ground running and contribute quickly.
This is necessary for team collaboration and to ensure they can explain their work to non-technical stakeholders.
This is important because developers often need to troubleshoot and solve complex problems.
This is crucial because Flow-Matic is 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.
Optimizing a Flow-Matic program would involve carefully reviewing the program's logic and making adjustments to improve efficiency, such as reducing redundant operations.
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.
Flow-Matic supports a limited number of data types, including numeric and alphanumeric data.
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.
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.
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.
(START) READ ITEM, PRICE, QUANTITY; MULTIPLY PRICE BY QUANTITY GIVING TOTAL; WRITE ITEM, TOTAL; (END)
(START) READ A, B; IF A GREATER THAN B THEN WRITE A ELSE WRITE B; (END)
(START) READ ARRAY; FOR EACH ELEMENT IN ARRAY DO WRITE ELEMENT; (END)
(START) READ A, B; IN PARALLEL DO MULTIPLY A BY B GIVING C; ADD A TO B GIVING D; (END)
(START) READ OBJECT; IF OBJECT IS OF CLASS 'CAR' THEN WRITE OBJECT.MODEL; (END)
(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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Back-end App Developer
Front-end Web Developer
Full Stack Developer (Java)
Full Stack Developer (.Net)
Full Stack Developer (MEAN)
Full Stack Developer (MERN)
DevOps Engineer
Database Engineer (AzureSQL)
Database Engineer (Oracle)
Database Engineer (General)
Solution Architect (.NET)
Solution Architect (Java)
Solution Architect (Ruby)
Solution Architect (Python)
AI Engineer (Python)
Sr. AI Engineer (Python)
AI Strategist (Python)
Business Intelligence Engineer
Systems Analyst
Mainframe Developer (COBOL)
Mainframe Developer (General)