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> I recently learned Swift & Metal this way - knowing Python and other languages, I kept pasting my pseudo-code, asking GPT to convert it into Metal/Swift, and
by lolinder 3y ago
> I recently learned Swift & Metal this way - knowing Python and other languages, I kept pasting my pseudo-code, asking GPT to convert it into Metal/Swift, and then iterating on that.
Significant here is that you knew other languages already. I've had the same experience with GitHub Copilot, but I'm cautious about recommending it to new learners who don't yet know the fundamentals.
All indications I've seen indicate that it's easy for people who already know the foundations of programming to use AI tools to learn new tech, and that can actually be the most effective way for them, but that it doesn't work nearly as well for people who don't have knowledge of other languages and frameworks to lean on.
- StableAlkyne 3y ago> and that can actually be the most effective way for them A lot of it is just a general lack of learning material for that demographic. For most languages, you get to choose between an introductory text that assumes you've never even heard of a "pointer" or an advanced text that is meant as a reference for an experienced developer of the language. There's not really a lot of stuff out there to teach someone who already knows another language, who just wants to know the syntax and common idioms in that language. For example, a C programmer can easily pick up Python, learn some syntax, and go nuts -- but they just won't know about stuff like list comprehensions or dataclasses unless someone points it out. They'll write Python code that reads like C, not like Python.
- izacus 3y agoIt's similar with maths - calculators are invaluable, but being actually good at advanced maths just NEEDS you to grind through basic calculations so you adopt those basic "pattern recognition" skills on how numbers work, can be broken down and swappe out.