Clarify that the problem is equivalent to finding the first true in a boolean array with one contiguous false-to-true transition, despite non-monotonicity elsewhere. Propose a two-phase algorithm: exponential search to find a version that supports the feature, then binary search between the last known unsupported and the found supported version to pinpoint the earliest support. Emphasize that this achieves O(log n) API calls and discuss handling edge cases like no support at all.
Pro tip: Mention that you would cache API responses and use a version comparison function that handles semantic versioning correctly (e.g., 1.10.0 > 1.9.0), showing attention to real-world implementation details.
Restate the problem: find the earliest version that supports the feature, given non-monotonic support but a guaranteed later restoration. Confirm that the API is a black box and rate-limited, so minimizing calls is critical.
Explain that the guarantee of a later version restoring support implies there exists a contiguous range where support becomes true and stays true. The goal is to find the left boundary of this range.
Use exponential search (doubling) to find a version that supports the feature, starting from the lowest version. Then binary search between the last unsupported version and the found supported version to find the earliest support.
Show that the algorithm uses O(log n) API calls. Discuss edge cases: no version supports the feature, the first version supports it, and the feature is restored multiple times (but earliest is still found).
Mention caching results, handling rate limits with backoff, and using a correct version comparison function. Optionally, discuss if the API can be queried in batches or if there's a way to reduce calls further.
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