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Personally, I'm vaguely aware that JS does ASI, but rather than waste brain space trying to understand it, I just use semicolons with everything. And anyway, w

Personally, I'm vaguely aware that JS does ASI, but rather than waste brain space trying to understand it, I just use semicolons with everything. And anyway, what better test of language facility is there than having the person code something? Or looking at code they've written? Whiteboarding is a weird, artificial environment that's not going to represent the coder's natural behavior in the wild.

niggler 14y ago
Putting someone in front of a computer gives them the freedom to google (true story: I used to do a paper exam, and then I found one person was googling when I was in the bathroom and left the guy unattended for a few minutes). "Whiteboarding is a weird, artificial environment that's not going to represent the coder's natural behavior in the wild." You don't use a whiteboard when you code? I love them. The whiteboard is a nice tool for doodling and free exploration. I used to print out code and write on it, but I found that process to be much slower than the whiteboard.
- nollidge 14y ago
  > Putting someone in front of a computer gives them the freedom to google So? I use google all the time while coding.
- tjr 14y ago
  You don't use a whiteboard when you code? No, I don't. I find them very uncomfortable to write on, and when I have to, I thus try to write as quickly as possible, resulting in messy lettering and not caring at all if I get every (or any?) semicolon in, just so long as I get ideas across. I suppose if I had to use one in an interview I would try harder to write neatly, but my real-life day-to-day use of whiteboards is minimal.
- UncleOxidant 14y ago
  > Putting someone in front of a computer gives them the freedom to google And what's wrong with that? I use google several times/day to help out with programming problems. This is 2013; if your company doesn't have access to the internet (and thus Google) then people aren't going to want to work for you anyway. The problem is you're trying to set up some kind of artificial situation where you want people to solve a problem without access to readily available information. Sure, you could have them sit down at a computer that you've unplugged from the network and have them solve your problem, but why bother?
  - niggler 14y ago
    "you're trying to set up some kind of artificial situation where you want people to solve a problem without access to readily available information." Would you hire someone who has to google for an answer to fizzbuzz?
    - Falling3 14y ago
      >Would you hire someone who has to google for an answer to fizzbuzz? No, but there's very little utility in someone solving fizz buzz with or without google. Give them a real test and let them use google.
      - nollidge 14y ago
        I think there's utility in weeding out posers. That's why fizzbuzz is even talked about in the first place. But I think there should also be a real test, with Internet access available.

niggler 14y ago

Putting someone in front of a computer gives them the freedom to google (true story: I used to do a paper exam, and then I found one person was googling when I was in the bathroom and left the guy unattended for a few minutes). "Whiteboarding is a weird, artificial environment that's not going to represent the coder's natural behavior in the wild." You don't use a whiteboard when you code? I love them. The whiteboard is a nice tool for doodling and free exploration. I used to print out code and write on it, but I found that process to be much slower than the whiteboard.

nollidge 14y ago
> Putting someone in front of a computer gives them the freedom to google So? I use google all the time while coding.
tjr 14y ago
You don't use a whiteboard when you code? No, I don't. I find them very uncomfortable to write on, and when I have to, I thus try to write as quickly as possible, resulting in messy lettering and not caring at all if I get every (or any?) semicolon in, just so long as I get ideas across. I suppose if I had to use one in an interview I would try harder to write neatly, but my real-life day-to-day use of whiteboards is minimal.
UncleOxidant 14y ago
> Putting someone in front of a computer gives them the freedom to google And what's wrong with that? I use google several times/day to help out with programming problems. This is 2013; if your company doesn't have access to the internet (and thus Google) then people aren't going to want to work for you anyway. The problem is you're trying to set up some kind of artificial situation where you want people to solve a problem without access to readily available information. Sure, you could have them sit down at a computer that you've unplugged from the network and have them solve your problem, but why bother?
- niggler 14y ago
  "you're trying to set up some kind of artificial situation where you want people to solve a problem without access to readily available information." Would you hire someone who has to google for an answer to fizzbuzz?
  - Falling3 14y ago
    >Would you hire someone who has to google for an answer to fizzbuzz? No, but there's very little utility in someone solving fizz buzz with or without google. Give them a real test and let them use google.
    - nollidge 14y ago
      I think there's utility in weeding out posers. That's why fizzbuzz is even talked about in the first place. But I think there should also be a real test, with Internet access available.