[poink]

There are ways around this. You can do pair programming with screen sharing and VOIP, for example. As a company/manager/lead you might have to enforce good practice, but that's also true in the office.

(The less your team needs to worry about this stuff, the more likely they are to be successful no matter where you put them.)

[fennecfoxen]

I did pair programming with screen sharing and VOIP at my last job: we had one guy who was remote (he moved to the east coast because his wife got a snazzy job in animation, and we didn't feel like letting him go). We tried all the tricks. It works, but it's not like the real thing, and it's a lot more obnoxious and stressful for both parties, even when there aren't technical difficulties. I'd say: don't do it regularly unless you have to.

[lawnchair_larry]

Better yet, don't do pair programming it all. People still do that?

[fennecfoxen]

Pair programming is the only reason that team's still going, after what management's done to it, with the employee turnover it's gone through amidst idiotic hiring constraints. But even before that, it was doing pretty well.

How about you run your team the way that works for you, and if someone else does pair programming and it works for them, maybe it's okay? :)