[sh87]

I had to read through your comment twice to get it. My experience leads me to agree with your idea of letting people talk through their own code. That category of conversations has usually been very rich and telling, much better than one over imaginary binary tree rotation algorithms or a "design a url shortener"-ish question. My favorite part is where a skillful candidate can lead the interviewer to interesting and real problems and solutions, demonstrate ability and both get to enjoy the conversation.