I just checked the calendar and did the math. It turns out this project is one year faster than it took to make Duke Nukem Forever.

Thirteen years ago, I made the first commit to the repository for my pair programming workshop. It began as a personal challenge: could I turn a topic I was passionate about into a truly interactive session? Heavily inspired by "Training from the Back of the Room" and the grassroots energy of Code Retreats, I reached out on Twitter. A community of volunteers quickly assembled to test the format, and their generous feedback helped shape it from day one.

That initial spark grew into a "walz project"—a wild idea that would allow me to travel, see the world, and do what I love without a fixed address.

Phase I: The Waltz

It started with a simple, effective model: a company provided travel, accommodation, and food, and in return, I would deliver a two-day, hands-on workshop. For about six months, I traveled across Europe with this offer, starting my journey into training and consulting. By my best estimate, around 200 developers participated in this phase. The workshop’s open-ended, practical pacing was its strength, but it paid little heed to marketability or—heaven forbid—"thought leadership."

Choosing Mojo Over Marketing

Frankly, the industry was already drowning in click-bait gatekeeping, and I wanted no part of it. I attribute the workshop’s limited commercial success to that irreverent approach. While it could have grown into a full-time venture, large-scale marketing would have drained its mojo, turning it into a shallow caricature of its core concepts.

Instead, the workshop relied on word of mouth for nearly a decade. One or two sessions were held each year to steady acclaim, which felt right. It remained a passion project, not a product.

Phase II: The Quiet Years & The Rework

Over time, however, the materials began to age. Around 2018, my career focus pivoted back to hands-on coding and architecture, and I stepped away from most coaching gigs. Then COVID hit, and the world of in-person workshops went dark.

By 2022, I noticed that technical coaching had devolved into what felt like a 24/7 LinkedIn Argument-Wrestling festival. It was all noise and very little signal. But then, something cool happened. In 2023, people started finding the original workshop repository again. As the world opened back up in 2024, the demand for practical, in-person workshops returned. The signal was clear: developers were hungry to get back to the craft.

So, I’ve spent the first months of 2025 updating and completing the workshop content so it’s fully reusable by everyone.

The New Hub & A Clear Philosophy

With that, I'm happy to announce the new, official home for the workshop:

https://pair-programming-workshop.github.io/

In a world where everything is branded as the "first," the "best," or the "ultimate," this workshop aims to be a well-rounded introduction to the topic. It's designed to be valuable for newcomers and still give experienced practitioners a way to participate and learn. Nothing more, nothing less.

A Note on Licensing

The content is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. In principle, you can recreate and even offer this workshop commercially under the same terms. The main reason for this liberal license is to streamline contracting. When clients ask, “Will the training materials be available to us?” I can simply answer “Yes,” without negotiating a long list of deliverables. All materials are available upfront.

A Brief History

• 2013 – First prototype and initial test runs with community volunteers.
• 2014–2022 – Annual iterations and refinements based on real-world sessions.
• 2024 – Prototype of a supporting card game and fresh content updates.
• 2025 – Full relaunch with a new website and restructured materials.

What's Next?

This is a fresh start. Here’s what’s on the immediate roadmap:

• More content udpdates
• An in-depth, reusable activities section for facilitators.
• An online version of the first day, just in case we need it again.

It has been an interesting 13 years with this workshop. For whatever reason, it got a chance to exist a little longer with improved docs and a proper home. I hope you find it useful.