[kybernetikos]

I don't agree with this at all. Pairing where there's a big skill gap isn't proper pairing, it's more like mentoring or hands on training.

In pair programming as I learned it and as I have occasionally experienced it, two individuals challenge each other to be their best selves while also handing off tasks that break flow so that the pair as a whole is in constant flow. When it works this is a fantastic, productive, intense experience. I would agree that it is more than 2x as productive. I don't believe it's possible to achieve this state at all with a mismatched pair.

If this is the experience people have in mind, then it's not surprising that they think that those who think it's only for training juniors haven't actually tried it very much.

[yarekt]

Exactly this. And I did mean equal skill when i said “more than 2x” implying that you get more done together than if you were separate.

One interesting thing is skill levels aren’t really comparable or equatable. I find pairing is productive where skills only partially overlap, meaning the authority on parts of implementation flows between participants, depending on the area you’re in.

I have some examples where I recently paired with a colleague for about 2-3 weeks nearly every day. i’m confident that what took us a month would be near impossible just working on our own