A few days ahead

Catching up on email, I saw the following in a message from Geoffrey Knauth on ll1-discuss from mid-May. This is an excerpt from a message Geoffrey sent to the list as part of a thread on XP; it's a brilliant statement on what matters most when programming with a group:

Maybe all my old-timer colleagues would really prefer for the young'ns to just get the hell out.

Hell No. I'm almost 43, so I guess I'm officially ancient (>40? >30?). I work with a 22 year-old who's incredible. He's sees what's right from what's garbage instantly, he codes fast, his code works, and it's readable. He never went to college. I learn from him EVERY TIME I interact with him. Having him on my current project keeps me honest and sharp. He likes me because I have "experience" and know some old tricks. He may not realize often I'm only a few days ahead of him.

I've heard "old-timers" express one beef about some young'ns: CS professors lament some of their students do things they insist are new that were first done ages ago. When children learn to walk or talk, do we parents squash their joy (and ours) with a "You aren't the first!"

Hardly.

What XP, pair programming, code ownership/non-ownership, all boil down to for me is people working together with mutual respect, being good listeners and teachers, jumping in with ideas, creating something shared, and keeping the fire burning.