[aplusbi]

I think the best programmers are ones who can utilize abstractions while at the same time understand what they are abstractions of. For example, someone who knows Django and SQL is probably a better programmer than someone who knows Django but doesn't understand what a relational database is.

While people might not need to write searching and sorting algorithms much any more, understanding the difference between an ordered map and a hash table can be crucial in many common "real world" scenarios.

I also have tried to stress that the answers to my algorithm questions are only part of the criteria in determining whether we hire someone or not. I brought them up because the OP asked specifically about coding questions, not hiring questions.