4 ms·

Or, at an even lower level... do you understand your hardware? Not just disk space and memory, as most programmers need to know those... But do you know how the

by synnik 17y ago

Or, at an even lower level... do you understand your hardware? Not just disk space and memory, as most programmers need to know those... But do you know how the keyboard works? USB? How the processor receives/manages all the signals? I did know all this, 10 years ago... I haven't kept up with newer systems, but even that basic understanding helps in many subtle ways.

ErrantX 17y ago
Slightly as an aside but one source of amusement for me is programmers or sysadmins who cant tell you the difference between a serial and parallel comms link (beyond the obvious) and how one might work. "Explain how a USB keyboard interacts with a computer" is one of my favourite interview questions at the moment. A surprising number of people can't tell you an in depth answer and you either hear: - it's serial err no idea beyond that - serial connection, I guess.. <creative attempt at answer> - random bullshit about bits and serial (they can waffle for hours) Really good for seeing them come up with creative solutions. Couple it with a whiteboard and work through the electronics with them and you can have a great interview. (I started to do the whiteboard thing after one interviewee asked for a pen/paper to try and sketch out what he was thinking)
- ern 17y ago
  Do the sysadmins and programmers you are interviewing need to understand the innards of a USB keyboard as part of their job function? If it's not part of their job description, then I am not surprised at all.
  - ErrantX 17y ago
    nope, and their answer is fairly irrelevant. If they have the balls to say "no idea, why do I need to know" that is someone we like. If they say that and then attempt to work out an answer extra bonus points. If they stumble they get no set back - it is a random question. If they bullshit they are marked down a fair way - not the kind of person we want. (we design it to be a question you have to actively fuck up to be marked down on) We sit and work through an answer together and you get a real insight into them outside their area of expertise (where you would expect them to be slick)

by synnik 17y ago

ErrantX 17y ago

Slightly as an aside but one source of amusement for me is programmers or sysadmins who cant tell you the difference between a serial and parallel comms link (beyond the obvious) and how one might work. "Explain how a USB keyboard interacts with a computer" is one of my favourite interview questions at the moment. A surprising number of people can't tell you an in depth answer and you either hear: - it's serial err no idea beyond that - serial connection, I guess.. <creative attempt at answer> - random bullshit about bits and serial (they can waffle for hours) Really good for seeing them come up with creative solutions. Couple it with a whiteboard and work through the electronics with them and you can have a great interview. (I started to do the whiteboard thing after one interviewee asked for a pen/paper to try and sketch out what he was thinking)

ern 17y ago
Do the sysadmins and programmers you are interviewing need to understand the innards of a USB keyboard as part of their job function? If it's not part of their job description, then I am not surprised at all.
- ErrantX 17y ago
  nope, and their answer is fairly irrelevant. If they have the balls to say "no idea, why do I need to know" that is someone we like. If they say that and then attempt to work out an answer extra bonus points. If they stumble they get no set back - it is a random question. If they bullshit they are marked down a fair way - not the kind of person we want. (we design it to be a question you have to actively fuck up to be marked down on) We sit and work through an answer together and you get a real insight into them outside their area of expertise (where you would expect them to be slick)