> The problem with "practical application" questions is that the answer almost always comes down to "it depends."
Agreed. Talking about application of theory is way too vague and leaves way too much room for bs. But I think my original point was unclear. I'm not suggesting that interview questions be "When would you use a linked list?" but rather "Let's hack on something using a linked list (something beyond just simply reversing it)." Like the article mentions, once you've built a linked list before and have optimized (and reversed) it to death, there's little to be gained from doing it again for somebody else.
Agreed. Talking about application of theory is way too vague and leaves way too much room for bs. But I think my original point was unclear. I'm not suggesting that interview questions be "When would you use a linked list?" but rather "Let's hack on something using a linked list (something beyond just simply reversing it)." Like the article mentions, once you've built a linked list before and have optimized (and reversed) it to death, there's little to be gained from doing it again for somebody else.