[ralphos]

I think the conclusion he has is right. It's not appropriate to pair 100% of the time. Having said that if you look at the way Pivotal labs pair up, they have really strict rules about what's allowed on the 'floor' e.g. No laptops, no cellphones, no distractions. So while working alone can give you more privacy and space to become creative, unless you're really disciplined by yourself, pairing up can actually be beneficial in forcing you to become more productive.

I think the other thing the author fails to mention is that in terms of up-skilling developers, the process of pairing is quite useful. Often the pairing will naturally raise the level of the weaker programmer by virtue of being exposed to new ideas and solutions by the more experienced developer.