An Examination of Tools and Practices for Distributed Pair Programming

Abstract: Distributed methods of working with software development grow larger each and every day. One of these methods is distributed pair programming. The problem is that because of the large amount of different tools there is to choose from when working remotely, it may be difficult for developers to know what they should pick, in order for their work to be as effective and enjoyable as possible, when working with distributed pair programming. This thesis investigates how different tools and practices used when working with distributed pair programming has been experienced previously by people working or studying in areas related to software development. Further the goal is to also provide recommendations about what tools and practices should be used for future work with distributed pair programming. From the results of this thesis the following recommendations could be made. Discord is recommended for communication if the use of face cam is not very important, and Zoom is recommended if it is. These tools are also recommended for screen sharing. For code sharing Git should be used, and it is also strongly recommended that the developers get comfortable with using Git as early as possible. For a shared text editor Visual studio live share or Teletype for Atom is recommended, however one should not put to much work into making the shared text editor function, since this does not necessarily have a large positive impact on the development.