> Any idiot can write something that occasionally works with some limited simple input and doesn't need to scale or do much error handling or recovery or cooperate with the OPS guys and their designs in any way.
You'd like to think so, but what I'm saying is that isn't the case.
> Give em a fizzbuzz with pathological parenthesis which mess it up, or half a fizzbuzz and ask them to finish it.
I ask them to write regular FizzBuzz and they can't. :(
I predict you're in SV or perhaps NYC. Everywhere else the supply of programmers exceeds the demand such that only the top programmers/grads are in any danger of even getting an interview.
You could be running into people with bad attitudes. I'll blame youthful indiscretion or whatever, but one really bad interview I was in, I couldn't believe I took a day off work and drove half way across the state to interview for what amounted to a ridiculous low entry level position (bait and switch) so I started flirting with the cute HR lady and talked ham radio antennas for an hour with my future bosses boss because if they wasted my time I was going to waste theirs. Well, kids have never been known for excessive professionalism, I wouldn't do that now but I wouldn't get caught in a bait and switch either. So I guess what I'm getting at is do they look smoking hot pissed off or more confused?
You'd like to think so, but what I'm saying is that isn't the case.
> Give em a fizzbuzz with pathological parenthesis which mess it up, or half a fizzbuzz and ask them to finish it.
I ask them to write regular FizzBuzz and they can't. :(