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imnos t1_ixyvu0j wrote

Reply to comment by dasnihil in Google Has a Secret Project That Is Using AI to Write and Fix Code by nick7566

I'm not sure if it's safe for a decade but I've been using Copilot for over a year and it's a huge time saver like you say. 90% of the time it gets what I need with at least 90% accuracy. Really helpful for writing repetitive code.

I find it works best if your codebase is consistent and well structured.

With GPT-4 on the horizon, and DeepMind also having a model that can compete with "the average developer", I'm super interested to see how things change in the next few years.

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Polend2030 t1_ixzwbck wrote

Just curious - how many time you code and how many time spend on copilot? Can beginner use it without much knowledge of coding ?

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imnos t1_iy0wz76 wrote

I've been coding for 5+ years professionally so I mostly use it to save the effort of typing.

You need to be able to look at what Copilot spits out and understand if it's correct or not, so I'd say it wouldn't be much use for a newbie. You have to know how to structure your code and then let Copilot fill things out whilst keeping an eye on what it's doing.

Sometimes it saves me Googling something I don't know how to do if I can instruct it correctly - and then I just test that what it wrote works, so you may be able to learn some things from it but you'll be able to use it to it's full potential once you have some knowledge/experience under your belt.

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Frumpagumpus t1_iy4hspr wrote

i think it would still be useful for a newbie (maybe even more useful than for someone experienced). it could function as a somewhat unreliable mentor lol. or a learning buddy i guess.

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dasnihil t1_iycrluq wrote

for someone who actually wants to learn coding, it'd be more than a mentor. gpt-3 can explain problems with a code, or explain the logic behind writing the codes too, not just a tool that gives you codes. it's a tool with plethora of knowledge and capable of coherent conversations with it's students :)

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VisibleSignificance t1_iy0gi66 wrote

> writing repetitive code

... how much repetitive code do you even need to write anyway?

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turbofisherman t1_iy0ochj wrote

Unit tests, for one, are much easier to write with Copilot. Huge time saver!

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Pixelmixer t1_iy0qky7 wrote

Dude generating unit tests directly from properly written specs would be a godsend. Consequently, properly written specs would be a godsend.

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imnos t1_iy0xy2v wrote

Er, a lot? If your codebase is well structured most of it will follow similar patterns which you just need to repeat, with different class/variable names etc. That makes it ripe for automation with Copilot.

Then there's unit tests which cover the above - if you keep the structure similar then copilot can fly through it.

Likewise for generating things like seed data. Need to create some seeds for your database just write out what you need in a comment and Copilot gets it mostly right.

So much time saved.

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imnos t1_iy0ynmm wrote

I spoke about repetitive code but it's also helpful for when you don't know something - saves you the step of Googling or checking documentation.

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