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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.

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

First 20 minutes

General Flow-Matic app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in Flow-Matic application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

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.

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.

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.

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.'

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.

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What you’re looking for early on

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

Has the candidate demonstrated problem-solving skills?

Can the candidate communicate effectively about technical concepts?

Does the candidate have experience with similar projects or tasks?

Next 20 minutes

Specific Flow-Matic development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should focus on the candidate's expertise with specific backend frameworks, their understanding of RESTful APIs, and their experience in handling data storage and retrieval efficiently.

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.

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.

What are the data types supported by Flow-Matic?

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

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.

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.

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At this point, a skilled Flow-Matic engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in Flow-Matic programming language, and knowledge of software development methodologies. Red flags include lack of hands-on experience, inability to articulate complex concepts, or unfamiliarity with standard coding practices.

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.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for Flow-Matic Developer role questions

The final few questions should evaluate the candidate's teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, assess their knowledge of microservices architecture, serverless computing, and how they handle Flow-Matic application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Flow-Matic Consultive assessments

Flow-Matic Application Conversion Assessment Flow-Matic Application Integration Assessment Flow-Matic Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom Flow-Matic development projects

Custom Flow-Matic App Conversion Flow-Matic Custom App Development Process App UI Design for Flow-Matic Facelifts

Hiring guide for Flow-Matic Engineers

Flow-Matic Developer Hiring Guide

What you’re looking for early on

The ideal back-end app developer

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

Flow-Matic Consultive assessments

Custom Flow-Matic development projects