• XpProgramingInaFishBowl

Renamed to ExtremeFishbowl. Further conversation will continue there.

Following in the vein of such successful educational activies as XpForaDay, ExtremeHour, ExtremeHourWithActualProgramming, IronGeek, watching KentBeck pair with JimNewkirk refactoring RobertMartin's *particularly nasty* prime number generator at XpImersionOne combined with watching and running successful FishBowls, ZhonJohansen thought XpProgrammingInaFishBowl could be an interesting XpExperience (experiment?).

The three requirements for a FishBowl are 1) people involved in conversation; 2) people watching; 3) the watchers can become participants; 4) only those in the FishBowl can participate. The basic requirements are as follows:

• People will be programming in an XP fashion.
• Others will be watching.
• The watchers will have the ability to participate.

Hey, Zhon, you can count to three, right??? -- BaB

In order to accomplish these goals (and be interesting), we will need:

• Four computers with attached programmers in the FishBowl

• Each computer will be attached to an overhead projector
• One of the computers will be used exclusively as a refactoring computer

• The UserStories will be publicly available

• The design of the software will be in a public place

The things we wish to show to an eager, actively, learning audience include the following in no particular order

• Refactoring in practice
• The dynamics of pairing

• TestDrivenDesign

• Team conversation in action
• Well factored code in creation
• JUnit in action
• Celebrities on the spot
• Pair Promiscuity

When presented at the March OoRoundTable, many ideas and much enthusiasm was generated. Here are some of those ideas:

• A commentator is required to point out the nuances (possibly include a color commentator, JohnMadden?)

• Have the ability to do replay
• Show the design as it evolves (possibly using large sticky posters)

• Have invited guests (e.g., KentBeck, RonJeffries, WardCunningham, RobertMartin, etc.) both program and commentate

• Have the next person to join the group watch the coding for 15 minutes (with the exception of invited guests)
• Add a new programmer in every 15 minutes
• Interview each programmer as they leave the group

Some of the questions that still remain:

• How long should this activity take
• Will we have enough audience participation (many people are terrified to program in public)
• How do we show the evolution of the design
• What code should be worked on
• How much code should be present
• What are the hardware and software requirements

After having our MarchMeeting where we experimented with ExtremeFishBowl (renamed from XpProgrammingInaFishBowl), we will had a number of new suggestions:

• Collect the biography of each programmer
• Make name tags with numbers
• Keep a visible clock and switch on the 15 minutes
• Have the environment in place
  • IntelliJ
  • cvs
  • network
  • code in place
  • ant

  • AllTests

• Interview one of the programmers as they leave
• Have a customer available for questions
• Show a working copy of the application
• The number of comentators should be three (and three is the number, not two except to continue...)
• Programmers and commentators should not speak to each other
• It is possible to bring in a contractor (someone waiting to enter the group) for a limited time to answer a specific question
• Each role should be clearly designed
• Cards with the roles rules should be given to each role player
• Commentators should be given card to start conversations
• The goals of the game should be as follows:
  • Present the program rhythm (Refactor, Test, Code, Test, Code... Refactor)
  • Show activities not usually seen in demonstrations (What are these?)
  • Learn other peoples styles

Here are the roles and responsibilities:

• FishBowlProgrammer (two for each computer)

  • Refactor, Test, Code, Test, Code, Refactor
  • May only speak to Customer

• ProgrammerOnDeck

  • Watch the programming, will be a Programmer in the next turn
  • May not speak to anyone except Programmers
• Customer (singleton)
  • Keep the programmers supplied with stories
  • Answer programmers questions
  • May quietly get stories from Audience
  • Probably should have an assistant
• Statistician (one per pair)
  • Observes and gathers interesting statistics
  • Mostly will hand notes to the Commentators
  • May only speak with the Comentators
• Commentators (three and only three)
  • Will be continuously speaking about interesting XP things (pairing dynamics, design tradeoff, tests, people, etc)
  • Will speak to each other

  • Will not speak to the Programmers --KayJohansen

• Moderator
  • Keep the turns moving
  • Make sure all rules are being followed
  • May speak with anyone