Hi Julien, and thanks for your input.
Even though previous editions included mentor roles, Summer of Nix is not a mentorship program per se. It has a tradition of self-organisation and mutual support, which we strive to continue. Last year we added more structure, and tried to find a healthy balance between avoiding disorientation, leaving freedom for how to go about things, and achieving delivery goals. But there is no classical teacher-student relationship, and no classical management relationship.
There are asterisks and fine print to this in practice, and I can expand on it on request, but that’s the general idea.
Last year’s participants ramped up very quickly. Our experience confirms that mob programming works very well for knowledge sharing. I attribute that to the short feedback cycle you have within a group that works synchronously for prolonged periods of time.
That said, @mightyiam, Ronny, and me had very serious discussions on the relative merits of mob programming, when reviewing results and feedback from last year. Of course, mob programming is not a solution to all problems, and it’s not for everyone for various reasons such as work habits, learning preferences, or availability. There are also trade-offs to be made in terms of cost effectiveness: On the one hand, some things take longer as a group; on the other hand, often code quality is better and more people end up being familiar with the specifics.
We decided to continue with mob programming because we deem that this is what will most likely make for consistent outcomes and continuity of maintenance, possibly even beyond the funding period.
What would you suggest to accommodate your – and other community members’ – experience and enthusiasm into this year’s program?