Live data from Hacker News

GitHub Copilot is generally available

github.blog

341–350 of 796 posts

Re: GitHub Copilot is generally available

#341
post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That piece of code had duplicates in the training set making it prone to memorisation. Almost all generated code is original.

Almost all generated code is original Good, you will almost not be liable for infringement.

Let's wait for the first big Codex infringement scandal to erupt and then I will start worrying about it.

Re: GitHub Copilot is generally available

#342
Co-pilot is great when you have a repetitive programming task to perform. e.g. if you are nesting module imports through several layers of python init. Co-pilot is great at tab-completing `from myproject.some_module.nested_module.actual_module import Foo as Foo` and similar tasks.

Re: GitHub Copilot is generally available

#343
post #306
post #195

I've been using Copilot non-stop on every hobby project I have ever since they've let me in (2021/07/13) and I am honestly flabbergasted they think it's worth 10$/mo. My experience using it till this day is the following: - It's an amazing all-rounder autocomplete for most boilerplate code. Generally anything that someone who's spent 5 minutes reading the code can do, Copilot can do just as well. - It's terrible if y…

> I've been using Copilot non-stop > I am honestly flabbergasted they think it's worth 10$/mo These two statments seem contradictory to me. Why are you using it 'non-stop' if it isn't even worth $10/month?

At first, I read it as if he thinks it's worth way more.

Re: GitHub Copilot is generally available

#344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You overlooked an even bigger contradiction! Namely: > The biggest problem I've had is not that it doesn't write correctly, it's that it think it knows how and then produce good looking code at a glance but with wrong logic. I cannot rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that would provoke such a statement. EDIT: upon careful rereading, I think I misunderstood. The intended meaning is likely closer to: the…

I won't rightly describe the confusion your post gives me. Nothing he says seems contradictory. It produces good looking code which upon further inspection has faulty logic. You would expect that from a program that copies a database of all the examples in the world (or whatever) and then just does an autocomplete without any kind of comprehension of what the problem is that is trying to be solved. No confusion or co…

So, the problem is that it produces incorrect code…

Re: GitHub Copilot is generally available

#345
post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"how to put a sentence together describing the rules, it absolutely doesn't actually understand how "Chii" melds work" The more experience I get with GPT-3 type technologies, the more I would never let them near my code. It wasn't an intent of the technology per se, but it has proved to be very good at producing superficially appealing output that can stand up not only to a quick scan, but to a moderately deep readin…

I wholeheartedly agree with your analysis, but feel like it’s ignoring the elephant in the room: writing code is not the bottleneck in need of optimization. Conceiving the solution is. Any time “saved” through Copilot and it’s ilk is immediately nullified by having to check it’s correctness. From there, the problem is worsened by the Frankensteinesque stitching together of disparate parts that you describe. I can’t i…

Can Copilot write tests? That way it could test its own code and tweak it until it works.

Of course, one would then ask how to verify tests. I suppose Copilot could write meta-tests - tests that verify other tests. That way it could test its own tests and tweak them until they work.

Of course, one would then ask how to verify meta-tests. I suppose Copilot could write meta-meta-tests - tests that verify meta-tests. That way it could test its own meta-tests and tweak them until they work.

Of course, one would then ask how to verify meta-meta-tests...

Re: GitHub Copilot is generally available

#347
post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your decision making delta is really $40 a year? How much is your time worth?

40$ can go a long way. In my personal scenario: - Money is worth more to me than the average US dev because I earn less than US developers, and therefore my time is definitely worth less. - I cannot use this for work at my current workplace and I'm willing to bet a lot of other companies aren't fine with it either. I'm not saving time where it makes me money, so I would classify as a luxury, not a tool (spending-wise…

Here's how I think about SaaS investments. If it's something I want or am curious about, but doesn't really have a tangible ROI, I decide if it's worth my disposable income and disposable time. If I have neither disposable income nor disposable time, it's not worth it, no matter whether it's $5 or $500/mo. You see, even for $5/yr my time is worth MORE than that money and the cost doesn't make my time worth any more or less.

If it has a tangible ROI, then I figure out how much my time is worth, I figure out how much time or other resource the SaaS app will save and then decide if it's worth the tradeoff. For example, I suck at graphic design, so a monthly $13/mo to Canva is worth it to me to save time, aggravation, and headache, not to mention improved quality of results. I know that I save myself much more in time than the $13/mo is worth.

On the otherhand, I can't justify paying even $15/mo for a podcast transcription tool because I still have to spend dozens of hours checking the transcription and it doesn't save me any headache. So it's not worth it to me. It doesn't matter if it's $60/yr or $100/yr, my time is still worth the same. If it's not worth it at $60/yr , it's not worth it at $100/yr.

Maybe this thought process is different for others, but with so much SaaS out there, it's important to focus on what will drive high value. Incremental "auto-yes" spending at any price point can get you into trouble.

Re: GitHub Copilot is generally available

#348

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I won't rightly describe the confusion your post gives me. Nothing he says seems contradictory. It produces good looking code which upon further inspection has faulty logic. You would expect that from a program that copies a database of all the examples in the world (or whatever) and then just does an autocomplete without any kind of comprehension of what the problem is that is trying to be solved. No confusion or co…

So, the problem is that it produces incorrect code…

Specifically, the problem is it produces _almost_ correct code, which is worse than incorrect code because it might fool you into trusting it.

Re: GitHub Copilot is generally available

#349
post #226
post #195

I've been using Copilot non-stop on every hobby project I have ever since they've let me in (2021/07/13) and I am honestly flabbergasted they think it's worth 10$/mo. My experience using it till this day is the following: - It's an amazing all-rounder autocomplete for most boilerplate code. Generally anything that someone who's spent 5 minutes reading the code can do, Copilot can do just as well. - It's terrible if y…

"how to put a sentence together describing the rules, it absolutely doesn't actually understand how "Chii" melds work" The more experience I get with GPT-3 type technologies, the more I would never let them near my code. It wasn't an intent of the technology per se, but it has proved to be very good at producing superficially appealing output that can stand up not only to a quick scan, but to a moderately deep readin…

Generated texts often sound very confident, even when they are totally incorrect.

A humorous example: https://cookingflavr.com/should-you-feed-orioles-all-summer/

Human pair programmers will signal when they're not sure about something. A code generator will not.

Post reply on HN