4 ms·

Maybe ontopic: I would like a voice controlled system that works with me. For example: saying, "I need a loop over a list" and promptly I get served in my text

by ccozan 8y ago

Maybe ontopic: I would like a voice controlled system that works with me. For example: saying, "I need a loop over a list" and promptly I get served in my text editor the loop. Or "I need to open a file and read contents". Or "Create an object ThisAndThat, with three properties" ... etc. Of course ideally would even ask for more details like, what kind of list is that, or how shall the file be read. How hard would be?

patternmaster 8y ago
Chain a text-to-speech component to tranx and you're done Paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1810.02720v1.pdf https://arxiv.org/pdf/1810.02720v1.pdf Code: https://github.com/pcyin/tranX https://github.com/pcyin/tranX Live demo (try Django out): http://moto.clab.cs.cmu.edu:8081/ http://moto.clab.cs.cmu.edu:8081/
- sansnomme 8y ago
  This seems to be a lot better those those Seq-to-Seq natural language to SQL networks. Can you elaborate more about them?
JudgeWapner 8y ago
I've envisioned something like this even for written code. Basically unify the language and the editor, so that you could (theoretically) right-click on main() and say "add loop" and have the correct code auto-generated. Not because a mouse is somehow better (it's much worse in fact), but basically an editor/UI that only allows you to produce valid code. Currently for most languages, we have: "type productions of a particular syntax and try really-really-hard to color between the lines, and subject yourself to the chinese-water-torture of syntax errors till YOU get better at it". Why not invert that, whether via mouse input, a visual (as in literally, visual, not microsoft-visual) connection, or a text editor that simply doesn't let you type invalid productions. Like Intellisense, but taken to the function or block level. You cannot save the file or even leave insert mode until the code compiles. Or even better, you cannot even temporarily input invalid syntax. From the first keystroke, it inserts a variable declaration, click/type up or down to choose a function call, conrol structure, etc. Some vim-like integration would go as follows: command mode: * <space>+F outputs a function called func1, auto-highlighted for you to rename (or accept default). * <space>+R on the func name lets you set its return type * <space>+A for args, * <space>+B to edit the function body At no point would you be allowed to input non-compiling syntax. Things like indentation would be non-issues, set uniformly by defaults.
- Keyframe 8y ago
  Hmm, so https://github.com/SirVer/ultisnips https://github.com/SirVer/ultisnips ?
  - JudgeWapner 8y ago
    yes, that is awesome. Now imagine connecting that to a machine-learning backend and letting it slowly train itself on how to write software. yes, I know ML doesn't need this vim-type language specifically, but it should help by only feeding it valid productions.
- thedirt0115 8y ago
  This is easier with a minimalistic (syntactically) language like Lisp. Check this out, the editor refuses to let you write code that won’t compile: http://danmidwood.com/content/2014/11/21/animated-paredit.html http://danmidwood.com/content/2014/11/21/animated-paredit.ht...
randomsearch 8y ago
As you expanded your database of common tasks, do you think that would eventually become a repository of “things I shouldn’t have to remember”, which could then be used to redesign languages? Machine code instructions designed by hand are not necessarily the best fit for the code we actually generate. Similarly, might our approach to language design lack pragmatic insight as to which constructs should be favoured, adopted, simplified etc? “Data-driven language design”.
- ccozan 8y ago
  This is actually a good idea. Also let's not forget the StackOverflow huge "library" on quick solutions. Someone has to harness that vast knowledge source!
melling 8y ago
Well, I’ve been discussing it on HN for years now. There really hasn’t been much interest. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8515987 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8515987 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11418285 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11418285 Mention coding by voice and someone will explain how they can’t imagine not using a keyboard, or they bring up the open office problem. Considering the limited scope, it’s probably just a matter of the proper editor integration.
- ccozan 8y ago
  I think my idea goes about a rapid prototyping, where i build the skeleton of a program faster, no matter the boiler code, and then workout the details. Intellisense or shortcuts do this up to a level, but the current big IDEs are limited. Maybe some editor with the concept of VIM with a separate command and edit mode would be more fit to work like that.
- Pombal 8y ago
  I believe there will be of more interest now for two main reasons: - Ubiquitous frictionless headphones with built in mics like the AirPods. - More demand and access to remote working where people are alone at home.
eranation 8y ago
As a software engineer, a part of me dreads that day, as this may be the beginning of the end of our profession as it is. But then when I think of it, the AI that can accomplish this will be trained using existing code as a learning sample, and not just static code, it will learn by looking at commits and how code evolves over time, so it is bound to also learn to write bugs, change its mind on design, refactor things that need not refactoring, do premature optimization, rewrite it all in go/rust/the newest cool language on the block, then get stuck because all of its questions got closed as non constructive on stackoverflow, So maybe we'll still have a job after all.

by ccozan 8y ago

patternmaster 8y ago

Chain a text-to-speech component to tranx and you're done Paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1810.02720v1.pdf https://arxiv.org/pdf/1810.02720v1.pdf Code: https://github.com/pcyin/tranX https://github.com/pcyin/tranX Live demo (try Django out): http://moto.clab.cs.cmu.edu:8081/ http://moto.clab.cs.cmu.edu:8081/

sansnomme 8y ago
This seems to be a lot better those those Seq-to-Seq natural language to SQL networks. Can you elaborate more about them?

JudgeWapner 8y ago

I've envisioned something like this even for written code. Basically unify the language and the editor, so that you could (theoretically) right-click on main() and say "add loop" and have the correct code auto-generated. Not because a mouse is somehow better (it's much worse in fact), but basically an editor/UI that only allows you to produce valid code. Currently for most languages, we have: "type productions of a particular syntax and try really-really-hard to color between the lines, and subject yourself to the chinese-water-torture of syntax errors till YOU get better at it". Why not invert that, whether via mouse input, a visual (as in literally, visual, not microsoft-visual) connection, or a text editor that simply doesn't let you type invalid productions. Like Intellisense, but taken to the function or block level. You cannot save the file or even leave insert mode until the code compiles. Or even better, you cannot even temporarily input invalid syntax. From the first keystroke, it inserts a variable declaration, click/type up or down to choose a function call, conrol structure, etc. Some vim-like integration would go as follows: command mode: * <space>+F outputs a function called func1, auto-highlighted for you to rename (or accept default). * <space>+R on the func name lets you set its return type * <space>+A for args, * <space>+B to edit the function body At no point would you be allowed to input non-compiling syntax. Things like indentation would be non-issues, set uniformly by defaults.

Keyframe 8y ago
Hmm, so https://github.com/SirVer/ultisnips https://github.com/SirVer/ultisnips ?
- JudgeWapner 8y ago
  yes, that is awesome. Now imagine connecting that to a machine-learning backend and letting it slowly train itself on how to write software. yes, I know ML doesn't need this vim-type language specifically, but it should help by only feeding it valid productions.
thedirt0115 8y ago
This is easier with a minimalistic (syntactically) language like Lisp. Check this out, the editor refuses to let you write code that won’t compile: http://danmidwood.com/content/2014/11/21/animated-paredit.html http://danmidwood.com/content/2014/11/21/animated-paredit.ht...

randomsearch 8y ago

As you expanded your database of common tasks, do you think that would eventually become a repository of “things I shouldn’t have to remember”, which could then be used to redesign languages? Machine code instructions designed by hand are not necessarily the best fit for the code we actually generate. Similarly, might our approach to language design lack pragmatic insight as to which constructs should be favoured, adopted, simplified etc? “Data-driven language design”.

ccozan 8y ago
This is actually a good idea. Also let's not forget the StackOverflow huge "library" on quick solutions. Someone has to harness that vast knowledge source!

melling 8y ago

Well, I’ve been discussing it on HN for years now. There really hasn’t been much interest. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8515987 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8515987 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11418285 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11418285 Mention coding by voice and someone will explain how they can’t imagine not using a keyboard, or they bring up the open office problem. Considering the limited scope, it’s probably just a matter of the proper editor integration.

ccozan 8y ago
I think my idea goes about a rapid prototyping, where i build the skeleton of a program faster, no matter the boiler code, and then workout the details. Intellisense or shortcuts do this up to a level, but the current big IDEs are limited. Maybe some editor with the concept of VIM with a separate command and edit mode would be more fit to work like that.
Pombal 8y ago
I believe there will be of more interest now for two main reasons: - Ubiquitous frictionless headphones with built in mics like the AirPods. - More demand and access to remote working where people are alone at home.

eranation 8y ago

As a software engineer, a part of me dreads that day, as this may be the beginning of the end of our profession as it is. But then when I think of it, the AI that can accomplish this will be trained using existing code as a learning sample, and not just static code, it will learn by looking at commits and how code evolves over time, so it is bound to also learn to write bugs, change its mind on design, refactor things that need not refactoring, do premature optimization, rewrite it all in go/rust/the newest cool language on the block, then get stuck because all of its questions got closed as non constructive on stackoverflow, So maybe we'll still have a job after all.