Post AddxTB0wWR9Fw0M52W by pwaring@fosstodon.org
 (DIR) More posts by pwaring@fosstodon.org
 (DIR) Post #AddvmCHtoOB5ThEDIG by pwaring@fosstodon.org
       2024-01-08T15:33:33Z
       
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       Intrigued though I am by this Guardian quiz question, please don't use this sort of thing in interviews. It doesn't help you find the 'right' candidate and the lack of an 'obvious' solution means some people will burn through their interview time thinking about it and panicking that they don't know the answer (if you cause someone to panic in an interview then you shouldn't be interviewing).https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/jan/08/can-you-solve-it-do-you-think-like-a-software-engineer
       
 (DIR) Post #AddvmDPjck2WyHtz96 by penguin42@mastodon.org.uk
       2024-01-08T17:35:43Z
       
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       @pwaring Turning it into an underground horror works though; I mean when you start to realise something else is flipping the switches as well, and they're leaving bloody paw marks....
       
 (DIR) Post #AddvmEKSDrPToCRHYO by pwaring@fosstodon.org
       2024-01-08T15:36:07Z
       
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       And if you're an interviewee, this sort of question is a massive warning flag. It suggests the culture at the company is about proving how much cleverer you are than other people instead of solving real-world problems. The same goes for anyone asking you how to implement a binary tree, for which the only correct answer is 'use an existing library'.
       
 (DIR) Post #AddxTB0wWR9Fw0M52W by pwaring@fosstodon.org
       2024-01-08T17:54:44Z
       
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       @penguin42 It's less grim when you get the CS equivalent of the puzzle, which is basically a circular double linked list with a boolean flag.