4 ms·

I'm extrovert as hell and I like pair programming...but not having "what are we going to do" written down, combined with a constant hum of conversation in the b

I'm extrovert as hell and I like pair programming...but not having "what are we going to do" written down, combined with a constant hum of conversation in the background sounds awful.

atoav 7y ago
Depends how hard the problem is you are working on? I could totally imagine solving easy to medium problems in that environment. For hard problems I’d probably leave the room and think alone till I have something worthy of discussion
- afarrell 7y ago
  Me: “What was the problem again? I forgot.” 5x times until my pairing partner just does it himself while I try to stay focused and follow along.
afarrell 7y ago
To clarify, I'd be fine with pairing 8 hours a day, but I'd want: - Some sort of sound barrier so that I couldn't parse the background conversations. - To be able to decide "what is our current plan?" and to write that down. Of course you'd change to a new plan in light of new information.
- havocheavy 7y ago
  Think of the last time you were in a conversation with 1 person in a busy restaurant. Was it distracting to hear others having conversations? Did it propel your conversation at all, or maybe give you something to talk about? When people talk about the buzz of activity in a busy place, it's really closer to a situation like this. Individuals doing solo work are often distracted by background noise, and even I do! But in pairs, it doesn't seem to have quite the same effect in my experience. On the planning part, I know a lot of pairs that set up small daily roadmaps to stay on track. Totally normal, and also totally ephemeral as well. Usually an updated plan is drawn every day since the pair might change.
  - afarrell 7y ago
    > Think of the last time you were in a conversation with 1 person in a busy restaurant. Was it distracting to hear others having conversations? Yes. Its an unpleasantness I endure if I’m not trying to work through anything which is an intense use of my Working Memory.
plinkplonk 7y ago
"constant hum" is quite the understatement. It is often close to a dull roar (from personal experience with "pair all the time in an all-agile open office environment". I quit and went on to better things).

I'm extrovert as hell and I like pair programming...but not having "what are we going to do" written down, combined with a constant hum of conversation in the background sounds awful.

atoav 7y ago

Depends how hard the problem is you are working on? I could totally imagine solving easy to medium problems in that environment. For hard problems I’d probably leave the room and think alone till I have something worthy of discussion

afarrell 7y ago
Me: “What was the problem again? I forgot.” 5x times until my pairing partner just does it himself while I try to stay focused and follow along.

afarrell 7y ago

To clarify, I'd be fine with pairing 8 hours a day, but I'd want: - Some sort of sound barrier so that I couldn't parse the background conversations. - To be able to decide "what is our current plan?" and to write that down. Of course you'd change to a new plan in light of new information.

havocheavy 7y ago
Think of the last time you were in a conversation with 1 person in a busy restaurant. Was it distracting to hear others having conversations? Did it propel your conversation at all, or maybe give you something to talk about? When people talk about the buzz of activity in a busy place, it's really closer to a situation like this. Individuals doing solo work are often distracted by background noise, and even I do! But in pairs, it doesn't seem to have quite the same effect in my experience. On the planning part, I know a lot of pairs that set up small daily roadmaps to stay on track. Totally normal, and also totally ephemeral as well. Usually an updated plan is drawn every day since the pair might change.
- afarrell 7y ago
  > Think of the last time you were in a conversation with 1 person in a busy restaurant. Was it distracting to hear others having conversations? Yes. Its an unpleasantness I endure if I’m not trying to work through anything which is an intense use of my Working Memory.

plinkplonk 7y ago

"constant hum" is quite the understatement. It is often close to a dull roar (from personal experience with "pair all the time in an all-agile open office environment". I quit and went on to better things).