Tony Bowden wrote:
> On Fri, Sep 21, 2001 at 03:16:53AM -0700, Dave Cross wrote:
> > $i=1,2;
> > I'm thinking I might include it as a question the next time I'm
> > asked to to a Perl interview :)
>
> I'm not sure it tells you very much at an interview.
> Knowledge of arcane points of syntax doesn't really tell
> you very much about programming skill ...
Which is precisely the problem with many so-called skill tests. A lot of the
trivia that's asked for is not necessarily something you know, even if
you're an experienced programmar; you still look things up that you don't
need all the time.
For example, yes, formats are part of Perl, but most people don't use them a
whole lot so they'd have to look at perldoc perlform to see the difference
between @<<< and ^<<< or between ~ and ~~. Does the fact that they don't
know the difference make them a bad programmer? Some tests seem to think so.
Perhaps some interviewers think so, too. But it ain't so.
Cheers,
Philip
--
Philip Newton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
All opinions are my own, not my employer's.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.