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> There is Github Copilot, the coding autocomplete tool. No, there is Github Copilot, the AI agent tool that also has autocomplete, and a chat UI. I understan

by timr 9mo ago

> There is Github Copilot, the coding autocomplete tool. No, there is Github Copilot, the AI agent tool that also has autocomplete, and a chat UI. I understand your point about naming, but it's always helpful to know what the products do.

jacquesm 9mo ago
GPs point is that it is confusing, I guess point well made?
- timr 9mo ago
  Only if the naming confusion kept them from actually bothering to understand what the product is?
  - jacquesm 9mo ago
    Apparently, so yes.
    - timr 9mo ago
      Seems like there's another option.
      - Retric 9mo ago
        Yep, don’t use any of the products in the first place. Leaving Microsoft’s ecosystem a few years ago has been a great productivity boost, saved quite a bit of cash, and dramatically reduced my frustration.
  - kemotep 9mo ago
    The confusion is when I say “I have a terrible time using Copilot, I don’t recommend using it” and someone chimes in with how great their experience with Github Copilot is, a completely different product and how I must be “holding it wrong” when that is not the same Copilot. That Microsoft has like 5 different products all using Copilot in the name, even people in this very comment section are only saying “Copilot” so it is hard to know what product they are talking about!
    - timr 9mo ago
      I mean, sure. But aside from the fact that everything in AI gets reduced to a single word ("Gemini", "ChatGPT", "Claude") [1], it's clearly not an excuse for misrepresenting the functionality of the product when you're writing a post broadly claiming that their AI products don't work. Github Copilot is actually a pretty good tool. [1] Not just AI. This is true for any major software product line, and why subordinate branding exists.
      - kemotep 9mo ago
        I specifically mention that my experience is with the Office 365 Copilot and how terrible that is and in online discussions I mention this and then people jump out of the woodwork to talk about how great Github Copilot is so thank you for demonstrating that exact experience I have every time I mention Copilot :)
  - nananana9 9mo ago
    Naming confusion is a pretty good predictor that it's not worth understanding what the product is.
mgkimsal 9mo ago
> No, there is Github Copilot, the AI agent tool that also has autocomplete, and a chat UI. When it came out, Github Copilot was an autocomplete tool. That's it. That may be what the OP was originally using. That's what I used... 2 years ago. That they change the capabilities but don't change the name, yet change names on services that don't change capabilities further illustrates the OP's point, I would say.
- timr 9mo ago
  That's silly. Gmail is a wildly different product than it was when it launched, but I guess it doesn't count since the name is the same? Microsoft may or may not have a "problem" with naming, but if you're going to criticize a product, it's always a good starting place to know what you're criticizing.
  - falsemyrmidon 9mo ago
    [dead]
  - adastra22 9mo ago
    Gmail is basically the same today as when I signed up for the beta. It’s a mail app.
    - timr 9mo ago
      Copilot is basically the same today as when I signed up for the beta. It’s a coding app.
  - kortilla 9mo ago
    Gmail is almost identical today as it was when it first launched. It just has fancier JavaScript
- HarHarVeryFunny 9mo ago
  To be fair, Github Copilot (itself a horrible name) has followed the same arc as Cursor, from AI-enhanced editor with smart autocomplete, to more of an IDE that now supports agentic "vibe coding" and "vibe editing" as well. I do agree that conceptually there is a big difference between an editor, even with smart autocomplete, and an agentic coding tool, as typified by Claude Code and other CLI tools, where there is not necessarily any editor involved at all.
mirekrusin 9mo ago
...it gets better: GitHub Copilot is a service, you can buy subscription from here https://github.com/features/copilot https://github.com/features/copilot. GitHub Copilot is available from website https://github.com/copilot https://github.com/copilot together with services like Spark (not available from other places), Spaces, Agents etc. GitHub Copilot is VSCode extension which you can download at https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=GitHub.copilot https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=GitHub.c... and use from VSCode. New version has native "Claude Code" integration for Anthropic models served via GitHub Copilot. You can also use your own ie. local llama.cpp based provider (if your github copilot subscription has it enabled / allows it at enterprise level). Github Copilot CLI is available for download here https://github.com/features/copilot/cli https://github.com/features/copilot/cli and it's command line interface. Copilot for Pull Requests https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-for-pull-requests https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-for-pull-requests Copilot Next Edit Suggestion https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-next-edit-suggestions/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-next-edit-suggestion... Copilot Workspace https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-workspace/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-workspace/ Copilot for Docs https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-for-docs/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-for-docs/ Copilot Completions CLI https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-completions-cli/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-completions-cli/ Copilot Voice https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-voice/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-voice/ GitHub Copilot Radar https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-radar/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-radar/ Copilot View https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-view/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-view/ Copilot Labs https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-labs/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-labs/ This list doesn't include project names without Copilot in them like "Spark" or "Testpilot" https://githubnext.com/projects/testpilot https://githubnext.com/projects/testpilot etc.
- Octoth0rpe 9mo ago
  I'm currently using GitHub copilot via Zed and tbh I have no idea which of these this relates to. Perhaps a combination of > GitHub Copilot is a service and maybe, the api behind > GitHub Copilot is VSCode extension ??? What an absolute mess.
- 9mo ago

by timr 9mo ago

jacquesm 9mo ago

GPs point is that it is confusing, I guess point well made?

timr 9mo ago
Only if the naming confusion kept them from actually bothering to understand what the product is?
- jacquesm 9mo ago
  Apparently, so yes.
  - timr 9mo ago
    Seems like there's another option.
    - Retric 9mo ago
      Yep, don’t use any of the products in the first place. Leaving Microsoft’s ecosystem a few years ago has been a great productivity boost, saved quite a bit of cash, and dramatically reduced my frustration.
- kemotep 9mo ago
  The confusion is when I say “I have a terrible time using Copilot, I don’t recommend using it” and someone chimes in with how great their experience with Github Copilot is, a completely different product and how I must be “holding it wrong” when that is not the same Copilot. That Microsoft has like 5 different products all using Copilot in the name, even people in this very comment section are only saying “Copilot” so it is hard to know what product they are talking about!
  - timr 9mo ago
    I mean, sure. But aside from the fact that everything in AI gets reduced to a single word ("Gemini", "ChatGPT", "Claude") [1], it's clearly not an excuse for misrepresenting the functionality of the product when you're writing a post broadly claiming that their AI products don't work. Github Copilot is actually a pretty good tool. [1] Not just AI. This is true for any major software product line, and why subordinate branding exists.
    - kemotep 9mo ago
      I specifically mention that my experience is with the Office 365 Copilot and how terrible that is and in online discussions I mention this and then people jump out of the woodwork to talk about how great Github Copilot is so thank you for demonstrating that exact experience I have every time I mention Copilot :)
- nananana9 9mo ago
  Naming confusion is a pretty good predictor that it's not worth understanding what the product is.

mgkimsal 9mo ago

> No, there is Github Copilot, the AI agent tool that also has autocomplete, and a chat UI. When it came out, Github Copilot was an autocomplete tool. That's it. That may be what the OP was originally using. That's what I used... 2 years ago. That they change the capabilities but don't change the name, yet change names on services that don't change capabilities further illustrates the OP's point, I would say.

timr 9mo ago
That's silly. Gmail is a wildly different product than it was when it launched, but I guess it doesn't count since the name is the same? Microsoft may or may not have a "problem" with naming, but if you're going to criticize a product, it's always a good starting place to know what you're criticizing.
- falsemyrmidon 9mo ago
  [dead]
- adastra22 9mo ago
  Gmail is basically the same today as when I signed up for the beta. It’s a mail app.
  - timr 9mo ago
    Copilot is basically the same today as when I signed up for the beta. It’s a coding app.
- kortilla 9mo ago
  Gmail is almost identical today as it was when it first launched. It just has fancier JavaScript
HarHarVeryFunny 9mo ago
To be fair, Github Copilot (itself a horrible name) has followed the same arc as Cursor, from AI-enhanced editor with smart autocomplete, to more of an IDE that now supports agentic "vibe coding" and "vibe editing" as well. I do agree that conceptually there is a big difference between an editor, even with smart autocomplete, and an agentic coding tool, as typified by Claude Code and other CLI tools, where there is not necessarily any editor involved at all.

mirekrusin 9mo ago

...it gets better: GitHub Copilot is a service, you can buy subscription from here https://github.com/features/copilot https://github.com/features/copilot. GitHub Copilot is available from website https://github.com/copilot https://github.com/copilot together with services like Spark (not available from other places), Spaces, Agents etc. GitHub Copilot is VSCode extension which you can download at https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=GitHub.copilot https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=GitHub.c... and use from VSCode. New version has native "Claude Code" integration for Anthropic models served via GitHub Copilot. You can also use your own ie. local llama.cpp based provider (if your github copilot subscription has it enabled / allows it at enterprise level). Github Copilot CLI is available for download here https://github.com/features/copilot/cli https://github.com/features/copilot/cli and it's command line interface. Copilot for Pull Requests https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-for-pull-requests https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-for-pull-requests Copilot Next Edit Suggestion https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-next-edit-suggestions/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-next-edit-suggestion... Copilot Workspace https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-workspace/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-workspace/ Copilot for Docs https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-for-docs/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-for-docs/ Copilot Completions CLI https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-completions-cli/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-completions-cli/ Copilot Voice https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-voice/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-voice/ GitHub Copilot Radar https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-radar/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-radar/ Copilot View https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-view/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-view/ Copilot Labs https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-labs/ https://githubnext.com/projects/copilot-labs/ This list doesn't include project names without Copilot in them like "Spark" or "Testpilot" https://githubnext.com/projects/testpilot https://githubnext.com/projects/testpilot etc.

Octoth0rpe 9mo ago
I'm currently using GitHub copilot via Zed and tbh I have no idea which of these this relates to. Perhaps a combination of > GitHub Copilot is a service and maybe, the api behind > GitHub Copilot is VSCode extension ??? What an absolute mess.
9mo ago