Re: Practice: Pair Programming

Only just noticed this group, see my comments below:

--- In xpbookdiscussiongroup-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Kent 
Beck" <kentb@xxxx>
wrote:

> Pairing doesn't mean that you can't think alone. People need both
> companionship and privacy. If you need to work on an idea alone, go
do
> it. 

I like that you say both are necessary.  The book People Ware talks
about 'flow' rather than focus and how anything other than solitude
will disrupt flow.  I don't think pairing is so much about flow as it
is about focus and neither is a substitute for the other. Ideas that
are not well formed or difficult to articulate are too easily
dismissed during a dialog.  I always appreciate having some time to
myself to develop ideas at least to the point that they are
communicable.  On the other hand, if I know roughly the direction
development is taking, then pairing provides the focus to explore that
direction thoroughly.

> Pair programming is tiring but satisfying. Most programmers can't
take
> more than five or six hours of pairing in a day. After a week like
that,
> they are ready for a relaxing weekend away from work. I keep a
bottle of
> water beside me while I pair. It's good for my health and I'm
eventually
> reminded to take a break. The breaks keep me fresh for the whole
day.

In Sweden they have, twice a day, something called 'fika' which is
essentially a communal coffee break.  It is considered polite if not
mandatory to stay for at least a couple of minutes.  It is said that
you can tell how healthy an Swedish organization is from its fika
discipline.

> 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.

...and the lunch table fell silent.  Some subjects are serious enough
that they require a touch of humor to make them palatable.  Speaking
of which, not being able to view Figure 5. is making my imagination
run wild.

/Chris Steinbach





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