Place a stack of books so that only you can see the monitor, then feed your partner info as needed when you get stuck.
Ask HN: I'm experiencing pair programming exhaustion, how best to cope with it?
21–29 of 29 posts
Re: Ask HN: I'm experiencing pair programming exhaustion, how best to cope with it?
#22Threesome
Re: Ask HN: I'm experiencing pair programming exhaustion, how best to cope with it?
#23What is your experience?
The company I work for is completely committed to pair programming, which means everyone does it a 100% of the time. It is fine to help you ramp up when you just joined, but after 4 months of non-stop pairing, it seems like it's just too much.
Sounds awful !! Make sure to get lots of exercise / lift weights / gym etc to combat the stress . The strength training will make you stronger and give you energy to apply for another job on the side.
Re: Ask HN: I'm experiencing pair programming exhaustion, how best to cope with it?
#24This is very ideology over common sense. There is no scientific approach in software development. Did anyone conduct a reproducible study that was peer reviewed that concluded that pair programming was x-times better in creating relatively bug free software? We just latch onto hysteria.
There are academic studies of pair programming. If I remember, it does obviously decrease software defects, but almost everyone that wants pair programming ignores the fact that you are now paying twice as much for the same software. The software is not 2x better. Obviously a programmer's salary is so minuscule to the business managers don't even factor this into their thinking. Usually they want pair programming for political reasons, i.e. no single person can ask for a raise due to being the most knowledgeable.
Re: Ask HN: I'm experiencing pair programming exhaustion, how best to cope with it?
#25This is very ideology over common sense. There is no scientific approach in software development. Did anyone conduct a reproducible study that was peer reviewed that concluded that pair programming was x-times better in creating relatively bug free software? We just latch onto hysteria.
There is no need of studies to see that pair programming is a great way to pass experience from a more to a less experienced software engineer. It might not be the only one way to tutor a junior, not even the best, but works.
Re: Ask HN: I'm experiencing pair programming exhaustion, how best to cope with it?
#26This is very ideology over common sense. There is no scientific approach in software development. Did anyone conduct a reproducible study that was peer reviewed that concluded that pair programming was x-times better in creating relatively bug free software? We just latch onto hysteria.
There is no need of studies to see that pair programming is a great way to pass experience from a more to a less experienced software engineer. It might not be the only one way to tutor a junior, not even the best, but works.
Hopefully you don't work in medicine or in any discipline where lives are at stake.
Re: Ask HN: I'm experiencing pair programming exhaustion, how best to cope with it?
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is no need of studies to see that pair programming is a great way to pass experience from a more to a less experienced software engineer. It might not be the only one way to tutor a junior, not even the best, but works.
Hopefully you don't work in medicine or in any discipline where lives are at stake.
The irony of this comment is that letting people die via A/B guessing is exactly how modern medicine got to where is today.
You give one group a "cure", the other group a placebo. Whichever group survives or does better is the winner.
Re: Ask HN: I'm experiencing pair programming exhaustion, how best to cope with it?
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
That’s ridiculous. Pairing 100% would seriously hamper productivity. You need time to withdraw into your mind and think through solutions. This is why code reviews were invented.
I've worked at a company that did 100% pairing as well, you'd be surprised at the productivity gains that you experience with it, depending on your work habits . Not everyone can sit down for 8 hours a day and write code. Some number of people get distracted by Facebook, Hacker News, whatever it might be. Having a baby-sitter of sorts sitting next to you certainly keeps this kind of person on track - and I know, I'm…
Yuck.
Re: Ask HN: I'm experiencing pair programming exhaustion, how best to cope with it?
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is such an interesting approach. I’ve read about this at Pivotal, and it’s interesting to see how it’s described on their blog vs Glassdoor. I greatly enjoy working with another engineer to solve an especially tricky problem, but only pair programming seems like it would be exhausting. What do you like and dislike about it?
I totally agree it is useful for particularly tricky problems. It is not a coincidence that what I like the most about it is the initial discussion on the potential approaches to solving the problem. But then when we move into the implementation phase, that is when things get tiresome after four months of continuous and permanent pairing, because in my case, I appreciate silence and time to focus and think at my own…
It's not clear which aspect of the pairing makes it tiresome for you.
Do you feel that you are the 'typer', or that you feel pushed, or being corrected too often?
Maybe for a change you may reverse the roles, or swing the pairing partner. Besides, it's not like the process is set in stone, each pair's dynamic could be different. Some pairs don't match well or wear out.
Bring it up, after all it's not a policy for its own sake.