Disagreement is healthy and appropriate. How else could we discuss this.
My post is based upon my own experience. I have seen enough instances of programmer behavior to appreciate patterns. They may not be fair or conventional, but they are most definitely my experience.
Two of the biggest things I've observed are...
1. Senior people usually have set practices that work very well for them. That's probably how they became so senior. Unless those practices mesh well with your organization, there will always be uncomfortable potential energy, which can quite possibly have a negative outcome.
2. I have never met anyone (myself included) that performs anywhere near their potential. This applies to everyone, not just programmers. There are as many reasons for this shortfall as there are people, but the biggest ones I've seen are the belief they can't be better and the belief that "speedbumps" are "roadblocks". I have hired many Candidate B's and all have become better, often much better by improving their environment, removing obstacles, providing better tools, and most of all, getting them to believe that they could become excellent. From OP's original question, I believe that this can be exactly the outcome for Candidate B.
My post is based upon my own experience. I have seen enough instances of programmer behavior to appreciate patterns. They may not be fair or conventional, but they are most definitely my experience.
Two of the biggest things I've observed are...
1. Senior people usually have set practices that work very well for them. That's probably how they became so senior. Unless those practices mesh well with your organization, there will always be uncomfortable potential energy, which can quite possibly have a negative outcome.
2. I have never met anyone (myself included) that performs anywhere near their potential. This applies to everyone, not just programmers. There are as many reasons for this shortfall as there are people, but the biggest ones I've seen are the belief they can't be better and the belief that "speedbumps" are "roadblocks". I have hired many Candidate B's and all have become better, often much better by improving their environment, removing obstacles, providing better tools, and most of all, getting them to believe that they could become excellent. From OP's original question, I believe that this can be exactly the outcome for Candidate B.