On 3/08/19 5:17 PM, Cameron Simpson wrote:
On 03Aug2019 16:51, DL Neil <pythonl...@danceswithmice.info> wrote:
On 3/08/19 11:50 AM, Cameron Simpson wrote:
appear.in can also screen share along with its video conferencing,
and I imagine Zoom might do so also. But a screen share is "read
only" for the other party. You could both screen share of course, but
it doesn't solve the keep-the-code-in-sync issue.
...
My pair programming experience is pretty limited. If peering over
someone's should is enough, you're good. If you ever swap roles (typing
versus reviewing) I'd think it gets trickier.
Indeed. A logical improvement over screen-sharing is the objective this
investigation.
A simple screen-share solution has to be the MVP:
- I can see the code someone wants to show/is requesting help for
- we can talk through the question
- but I can't 'take control', eg would have to ask the other person to
scroll in order to show a piece of code 'somewhere else'.
Perhaps this is good discipline?
If you're teaching, then yes, sounds good to me. Student types, teacher
observes.
If it's two peers (regardless of relative expertise in the current
problem) I'd imagine wanting to switch around occasionally. Like:
Observer: what if we do blah-blah? Coder: not sure what you mean.
Observer: types short example code, because it is easier than a precise
verbal explaination. Coder: if ok, adapts the example to the actual
problem.
Exactly!
The latter better fits (my imagining of) how things will go at a PUG
coding night.
If you're mentoring/tutoring, you can put the typing in the associated
text messaging system - I think most video conferency things let people
message inside the conference? So you're not sharing a keyboard, but you
can pass text/code around for copy/paste.
If we are both members of the same (work/project) team and I am one of
your juniors. When I have a problem and ask your advice, chances are you
will quickly appreciate the problem because it is a narrow(er) field in
which you have had (years of) experience.
However, at a PUG Coding Night the questions will come out of
left-field, in totally different and unrelated subjects.
Accordingly, whereas your advice to a team-member might be almost
off-the-cuff, eg something like "I use the xyz-library, why don't you
start by reading-up on that?" when the subject matter is unfamiliar one
needs to spend more time understanding the problem and (likely) be more
tentative in suggesting a solution/avenue of investigation. Thus, being
able to ask for the keyboard and mounting a quick experiment or two,
might be the best way forward.
My conclusion thus far: If the code is only available locally, and the
requesting-person has to stop and send a copy to me, to enable such
experimentation; we'll either run out of time or put our heads in the
"too hard" basket!
Either that, or that my skills, such as they are, are insufficient for
the ambitions of the project.
(likely also true given the incredible width of subjects to which Python
is/can be applied!)
One of the PythonAnywhere principals has come back to me [...]
In PA, if I open a "console", it can be shared with all my
(PA-defined) "students" as r/o. Better, is that anyone who cares to
ask for help (registered as one of my students) can ask me to 'look
over their shoulder'. As well as navigating the other person's
source-files, I think I could initiate a test, or quick edit, in that
mode.
and has reverted again. It seems that they are keen to see if/how the
service might work in this mode (cf their existing address of a more
'normal' educational environment)
(if you'd like to give-it-a-whirl/have-a-go, they offer free accounts
(with modest but quite functional facilities) and the registration
process is not onerous - if we* can arrange an RDV, I'll be happy to
try working as a pair...)
Actually, I'd like that. But I'm in GMT+10. Guessing you're in GMT? We
could take that off list.
Done!
If you (ie you/in addition to Cameron) has the time/interest and would
like to try this (or any other of the options), I'll be keen to
participate...
--
Regards =dn
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