[TUHS] pre-more pager?

[krewat@kilonet.net (Arthur Krewat)]

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On 11/9/2017 3:53 PM, Dave Horsfall wrote:
> If you're interviewing a new hire, see how long it takes 'em to work 
> out what this does:
>
>     :; </etc/motd> /dev/tty sed 1q ;: echo "Hello, world"
>
For me, there are other criteria for hiring than telling me what some 
obscure string of stuff will do.

It's more important that they can take the above or something similar 
and shorten/simplify it to:

head -1 /etc/motd
or
sed 1q < /etc/motd

Because I just ran the above on a few different platforms, and they all 
just give the first line of /etc/motd, which I expected.

I might be missing something :P - but having them solve a problem the 
shortest way possible is more in my interests.

art k.

PS: I've been in interviews where I was given something like that. A 
notable one was NYNEX Science and Technology. One of the sysadmins 
interviewing me asked about some obscure command or maybe an option, in 
SunOS. My answer was "well, I don't remember that, having already worked 
with SunOS for a few years, but see that row of manuals behind you? I 
bet I can find it in there quick enough". I did, within a minute or two. 
I got the consulting gig.

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Again, no disrespect intended.