A couple years back I gave a talk on researching software history, using “linked list interview questions” as an example topic. Since referring people to a video is less accessible than just writing a blog post, I’ve reproduced the question here. So why do interviewers like to ask linked list questions? If you ask people, you usually get one of two answers: “It tests CS fundamentals.” “It tests reasoning through a new problem.| Hillel Wayne
Last month I researched two historical questions. I originally posted summaries on Twitter and am reproducing both here.1 Why Vim Uses hjkl Question: Why does Vim use hjkl and not the arrow keys for navigation? Common Explanation: It keeps your fingers on the home row. Historical Explanation: Bill Joy developed vi on the ADM-3A, which didn’t have dedicated arrow keys. If you look at the ADM keyboard, it put the arrow keys on the hjkl keys.| Hillel Wayne