On: Why Linked Lists Are an Interview Staple

[DarkWiiPlayer]

> Unless of course, you merely use this question as a ruse to elicit a discussion about low-level systems programming.

Didn't OP already imply that the point of the question was not as much to get a specific answer, but to probe whether or not the interviewee knows about all the factors that need to be considered?

[kthejoker2 → DarkWiiPlayer]

So why not ask exactly that? "What are some of the factors and tradeoffs to consider when implementing X / deciding between X and Y, etc.?"