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For Writing Software, a Buddy System

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31–34 of 34 posts

Re: For Writing Software, a Buddy System

#31
post #23
post #3

'Pair programming' would get a bit frustrating, don't you think? I suppose productivity would greatly depend on the personalities involved.

I usually let who ever is "driving" just write the damn code. He might write poorer code than I, but we're just trying to solve story cards quickly and if the tests pass, I don't complain. I usually only perk up when I notice logical errors, or other places in the code that we'll have to change when my pair refactors something.

You're missing half the fun, then. Part of the point of code reviews (and pair programming is, at its core, extreme code reviewing) is make sure both write the best possible code, both in terms of being bug free and adhering to company standards.

If you don't care about how the code ends up in terms of structure other for the logical errors, you're doing it wrong (well, according to me anyway, so it's not that big of a deal :P)

Re: For Writing Software, a Buddy System

#32

> To me, pair programming is the only way to work. Writing code is not only scientific, it’s also a creative process. I agree with the statement about how programming is creative work, and I disagree with the 'only way to work' statement. Pair programming is a great tool, but it doesn't have to be always used. When you adopt a methodology or process like XP or Scrum, we don't always have to adopt it wholesale - just…

> To me, pair programming is the only way to work.

Could've softened that up a bit, sure. I completely agree that not every problem is a nail for the hammer of pair programming. We've developed a very popular and productive pairing environment at Hashrocket.

We have found pairing to be helpful in solving difficult issues. And we have used it to enhance the design of software being written from scratch.

As for the mental breaks, some of us use the pomodoro to coordinate their break times. Others prefer to agree to breakpoints as they come.

We know pairing is not a fit for everyone, everywhere, all the time. However, if you are interested, this is how we do it, it works for us and, we hope our experience helps you.

Cheers!

Re: For Writing Software, a Buddy System

#33

My experience with pair programming: It is so great when the other person is very good/smart at programming. You sense that your work is way more than the sum of the individual parts. It is like an explosion of creativity because you don't stop when you have a block and the other has not, or he has a block and you have not. It is not great when the other person is not good/smart. You make all the work, the other can…

Do you happen to have a link for that Airforce experiment ? I'm genuinely interested.

Re: For Writing Software, a Buddy System

#34
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Candidates have to pair with us onsite for at least a week before the team decides whether to hire. We've hired qualified interns, but don't hire apprentice or junior-level folks. How do those people get the time to do the week with you? Do you only hire folks who are currently unemployed? (Full time for a week means that they're not interviewing elsewhere.) Do folks use vacation (or unpaid) time to see if you'll t…

> Do folks use vacation (or unpaid) time to see if you'll take them on? Yes, which also serves as near-concrete proof that a candidate _really_ wants to work with us.

Desperation is the new qualification.
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