Coding Interview Preparation
14 Patterns for Coding Interviews
Key Interview Patterns
- Sliding Window: Substring/subarray problems
- Two Pointers: Array problems with sorted data
- Fast & Slow Pointers: Cycle detection problems
- Merge Intervals: Overlapping intervals
- Cyclic Sort: Array problems involving consecutive integers
- In-place Reversal: Linked list reversal problems
- Tree BFS/DFS: Binary tree traversal problems
- Dynamic Programming: Optimization problems
Curated LeetCode Problems
- Top 75 LeetCode Questions - Blind
- Community-curated list of essential interview problems
- Focuses on most frequently asked questions
- Efficient preparation strategy for technical interviews
- GitHub - backstage/backstage
- Open platform for building developer portals
- Originally developed by Spotify, now open-source
- Unifies tooling, services, and documentation
Backstage Features
- Service Catalog: Centralized inventory of software components
- Software Templates: Standardized project scaffolding
- TechDocs: Documentation integrated with code
- Plugin Ecosystem: Extensible architecture for custom integrations
- Kubernetes Integration: Container orchestration insights
Developer Experience Benefits
- Discovery: Easy finding of services, APIs, and documentation
- Standardization: Consistent development practices across teams
- Self-Service: Developers can provision resources independently
- Visibility: Clear ownership and dependencies
- Productivity: Reduced friction in daily development tasks
Writing and Academic Resources
APA Style Abbreviations
- APA Style 6th Edition Blog: Abbreviations
- Official guidance on abbreviation usage in academic writing
- Rules for creating and using abbreviations in formal writing
- Important for academic and professional documentation
Tengwar Elvish Transcriber
- Tengwar Feanor Elvish Transcriber
- Tool for converting text to Tolkien’s Elvish script
- Creative application of linguistic and typographic knowledge
- Demonstrates intersection of fantasy literature and web technology
Privacy-Focused Browsers
- Web Browsers | PrivacyTools
- Curated list of privacy-respecting web browsers
- Analysis of browser privacy features and concerns
- Essential resource for privacy-conscious users
Privacy Browser Considerations
- Data Collection: What information browsers collect and share
- Tracking Protection: Built-in protections against web tracking
- Extension Support: Ability to install privacy-enhancing extensions
- Open Source: Transparency through open-source development
- Default Settings: Privacy-friendly defaults vs. user configuration
Command Line Tips
- LESS Environment Variable: Setting
-R flag for color support - Git Integration: Proper color rendering in git commands
- Terminal Colors: Ensuring ANSI escape sequences render correctly
- Practical Usage: Small configuration details that improve daily workflow
Key Takeaways
- Pattern Recognition: Systematic approaches to problem-solving improve
interview performance
- Developer Experience: Centralized developer portals significantly improve
team productivity
- Community Curation: Crowd-sourced lists provide efficient learning paths
- Privacy Awareness: Browser choice has significant privacy implications
- Tool Diversity: Specialized tools exist for very specific needs (like
Elvish script)
- Configuration Details: Small setup details can greatly impact daily
workflow
These resources span from practical interview preparation to enterprise
developer tooling to privacy considerations, showing the breadth of concerns in
modern software development and digital literacy.
