teleworking tools and methodologies (was Re: Teleowrking [Was: Anyone looking to hire a Python/C++ developer?])

[Alex Martelli]

<andrew at acooke.org> wrote in message
news:p7YY7.41526$ll6.5786405 at news6-win.server.ntlworld.com...
> Would you consider teleworking...
>
> ...from S America?  :o)
>
> On a more serious, and perhaps more Python-related note, I've been
> teleworking for three years and (with certain provisos) it has worked
> very well.  Companies looking for programmers with "rarer" skills
> might want to consider it (I'd be happy to answer questions here or by
> email if anyone is curious - I guess other people here will have
> experience too).

I think the theme is very interesting, particularly the sub-theme
of what methodologies and technologies work, and how well, in
various teleworking situations.

think3, inc, my current employer, has gone for a related geographical
strategy of opening small development labs where certain key people
wanted to live and work.  As a result, we're now very spread-out, in
geographical terms, compared to company size, with SW labs locate in
half a dozen timezones stretching from Karnataka to California.

Video-based (slow-scan) teleconferencing has apparently proved OK
for typical managers' needs -- basically, "human" connection and chat
beyond the confines of emails/newsgroups/intranet-based groupware.
Not exactly cheap in terms of equipment and bandwidth, but those
are definitely minor issues compared to, e.g., the cost of a plane
roundtrip touching both US coasts, a couple of locations in Europe,
and India.  It does mean strange working times occasionally, but
that's still less stress and fatigue than a plane trip, again.

As a techie, I'm anything but satisfied of what we've come up with
in terms of techie-to-techie close cooperation, though.  Specifically,
in my role as internal consultant/mentor/advisor, I know I've been
hugely more effective face-to-face than via such tools as video,
email, and so on.  None of those, in particular, seem to support
*pair-programming* and closely related practices of design and code
inspection -- and yet these practices are key to effective close
cooperation and mentoring.

What tools and/or novel methodologies have you found effective in
such pursuits?  "Off-line" ideas (helpful across timezone gulfs
are fine) -- CVS or other roughly equivalent schemes, email, wiki
and/or newsgroups -- and some widespread "online" ideas also work,
to some extent (muds/irc/intranet-based/...).  But I keep thinking
there must be something better -- some good ways to simulate and
enhance sitting next to each other at a keyboard.

VNC apparently supports that -- two VNC clients going to the same
VNC server, with either client able to "drive" in keyboard and
mouse terms.  I've only tried VNC experimentally on a fast LAN,
though, and not for "pair-programming like activities".  Surely
it should be possible to do better by building in similar abilities
into suitable development environments such as IDLE or...?  And/or
integrate those with 'free chat' abilities, as in voice-over-IP or
even just textual/messaging arrangements?

Any applicable experience will be of interest!


Alex