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The problem is with Copilot, or over-relying on it for its purported convenience, bad devs will have a harder time becoming good devs. Discovering what code to
by wyuenho 5y ago
The problem is with Copilot, or over-relying on it for its purported convenience, bad devs will have a harder time becoming good devs. Discovering what code to write and what their exact effects are is a major part of the journey to becoming good dev. If humans aren't going thru this process, I very much doubt they'll be able to quality control the code Copilot dumps in until later in the cycle. Doing things the hard way is essential for being a good dev.
- emodendroket 5y agoI've heard this same line for using IDEs for years. Everyone else is welcome to stick with Ed if they like. I'm going to use the tools that are available to me to make my job easier.
- auggierose 5y agoIf you don't understand the difference between Idea IntelliJ, which I loved as soon as it came out, and Github Copilot, then you are exactly the reason why I am frightened.
- emodendroket 5y agoIntelliJ and friends make a lot of suggestions, which aren't always good to blindly accept. It's not exactly the same but it's in the same universe of machine-assisted work that still requires human direction.
- pyrale 5y agoThere's a pretty big difference between asking a permission and going on unless that same permission is denied. There's also a large difference in scope between the kind of suggestions a linter gives and what copilot does. Linter usually works around the syntax for equivalent semantics, while copilot tries to infer semantics.
- emodendroket 5y agoIntelliJ does a lot of the latter with templates.
- marcosdumay 5y agoCode templates are the top reason why I avoid IDEs. You just start writing something and the IDE will insert a block of code there, with no indication of where it ends, and catching you off guard if you are focused on something other than data input. The fact that there are so many people that like them that all the IDEs have the feature on by default with the off switches scattered all over their configuration so you can't turn them off is scary.
- emodendroket 5y agoI'm not sure what's scary about it. I find them useful. And I find the behavior is pretty predictable with experience.
- IncRnd 5y agoWhen you work for a company that forbids copilot and blocks its traffic from the network, you'll find that your dependence on tools to create your code has held you back.
- emodendroket 5y agoHeard that one before too. I have to work without the IDE for interviews and it's not a big deal. It's just slower and less efficient.