The comment about pair programming resonated with me: What Mr. Beck writes about the paired-programming aspect is contrary to common sense and anyone even the slightest inkling of perception into the personality traits of developers.
Pair programming was THE most distasteful, unpleasant thing I have ever done in any employment. And I include in that my very first job which included cleaning grease traps and bathrooms at McDonalds.
Gurdjieff said that the path to spiritual development is to like what it does not like.
If developers do not like pair programming, is it a problem with pair programming or is it a problem with developers, specifically their unconscious, machine-like it?
The whole point of XP is not only to go against management best practice but also against the comfortable habits of most software developers, in an effort to make them better developers.
I found pair programming preferable to code reviews in both efficacy and enjoyment. Because, you know, you can't really skip this part in most larger systems where more than one developer is involved. You have to do one or the other. So you're doing code reviews ... Right?
Pair programming was THE most distasteful, unpleasant thing I have ever done in any employment. And I include in that my very first job which included cleaning grease traps and bathrooms at McDonalds.