Re: Practice: Pair Programming

Hi, Kent. I think this is generally a good summary of pair programming.
I'm not sure of the context of this piece, but if it's all people read
on pairing, I'd add more about what people actually do when they are at
the keyboard and when the aren't.

A couple of comments on the text:

On Mon, 2004-11-08 at 09:32, Kent Beck wrote:
>
> Pairing doesn’t mean that you can’t think alone. People need both
> companionship and privacy. [...] When you’re done exploring bring the
> resulting idea, not the code, back to the team. 

I think this is a great paragraph; it's something people don't
understand about pairing at first, and this really clears it up.


> Personal hygiene and health are important issues when pairing. Cover
> your mouth when you cough. Don’t come to work when you are sick. Avoid
> strong colognes that might affect your partner.

I like to put pump containers of hand sanitizer near the pairing
stations. 

> 
> Working effectively together feels good. It may be a new experience in
> the workplace for some. When programmers aren’t emotionally mature
> enough to separate approval from arousal, working with a person of the
> opposite gender can bring up sexual feelings that are not in the best
> interest of the team.

When I read this in the preprint, I wondered if this paragraph really
belonged in here. This strikes me as a potential problem in any team
situation, and it seems odd to me to suggest that Pair Programming is
particularly riskier than any other team activity. My fear is not only
that people will get the wrong idea about XP, but also people with a
bias against XP will use this paragraph to fight against an XP adoption.


> If you are uncomfortable pairing with someone on the team, talk about
> it with someone safe; a respected team member, a manager, or someone
> in human resources. If you aren’t comfortable, the team isn’t doing as
> well as it could. And chances are others are uncomfortable too.

I'd also add that it's worth talking with the team member with whom one
is uncomfortable.

William



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