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Even Microsoft Notepad is getting AI text editing now

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Re: Even Microsoft Notepad is getting AI text editing now

#261

Post by jacobr1 »

snarfy wrote: post #253
rqtwteye wrote: post #236

This seems to be a common trend everywhere. Instead of improving core functionality they add the latest buzzword tech, no matter it make sense or not. I am user of GaiaGPS to plan outdoors trips. Same there: the app is good but has some problems. Instead of fixing the problems they added social functionality which nobody really wants.

Nobody got promoted for improving core functionality.

People get promoted for improving key metrics. Like Revenue or Retention or Installs or whatever. Metrics can be abused and gamed ... but you can do a better job aligning them to improvement than the de-facto metrics of "number buzzwords in a new shiny toy"

Re: Even Microsoft Notepad is getting AI text editing now

#262

Post by HeatrayEnjoyer »

ruszki wrote: post #251
rendaw wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And for vacuuming up personal data, because why not both.

It’s pretty obvious after their data grab with the new Outlook. They destroyed the built-in app which I used all the time just to try to get all of my emails.

> It’s pretty obvious after their data grab with the new Outlook.

What did they do this time?

Re: Even Microsoft Notepad is getting AI text editing now

#263

Post by shigawire »

DCH3416 wrote: post #215
niam wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They managed to make File Explorer itself considerably worse over time as well. They really pulled out the monkey's paw when I wished for tabs.

Why do people want tabs anyway? It's kind of clunky compared to just having smaller individual file explorer windows. Like you can't _really_ drag and drop files between tabs without the added time overhead of waiting for the tab to change. I assume most users are just full screen, list view-ing it though instead of the large icon view.

I don't think this is a good reason but tabs give you the ability to keep a bunch of files open and accessible without cluttering your main taskbar since there is only 1 Notes window.

Re: Even Microsoft Notepad is getting AI text editing now

#264

Post by reaperducer »

snarfy wrote: post #253
rqtwteye wrote: post #236

This seems to be a common trend everywhere. Instead of improving core functionality they add the latest buzzword tech, no matter it make sense or not. I am user of GaiaGPS to plan outdoors trips. Same there: the app is good but has some problems. Instead of fixing the problems they added social functionality which nobody really wants.

Nobody got promoted for improving core functionality.

Nobody got promoted for improving core functionality.

It depends on the company.

If you work for a hyper-scale tech company that only cares about money money money, then yeah -- nobody's getting promoted for improving core functionality.

But I've worked at several companies where that sort of thing is not only rewarded, but celebrated. One was a factory. Another was healthcare. Tech is the aberation, but on HN we pretend that it's normal and good.

Re: Even Microsoft Notepad is getting AI text editing now

#265

Post by llm_nerd »

autoexec wrote: post #255
llm_nerd wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're shoving AI everywhere because it's extraordinarily powerful and truly differentiating. Being jaded and cynical about it doesn't change that reality. Obviously there will be winners and losers and it will shake out -- personally I can't imagine using notepad for more than pasting arbitrary text and it seems like the least features is the best -- but bonafide text tools without AI in 2024 are crippling.

> They're shoving AI everywhere because it's extraordinarily powerful and truly differentiating. How does this explain the fact that people don't want AI. Just having AI in your product description makes people hate your product ( https://www.techspot.com/news/104122-study-finds-including-a... ) As soon as AI is added to anything people immediately start googling how to disable it (including when google added AI)

>Just having AI in your product description makes people hate your product

They compare "AI" to "New Technology", and there was a mild preference for the phrase "New Technology". Casting that as "hating" it is a bit of a misrepresentation. Further "AI" as a general term is mysterious and unknown. One of their examples was an "AI-Powered TV"...like, what does that even mean? Or an "AI-powered financial service". They sound terrible.

>As soon as AI is added to anything people immediately start googling how to disable it

Okay? Some people dislike almost everything new or different. Most people don't. If every major company is busy trying to get in front of AI, maybe it isn't quite the big "makes everyone hate it!" thing you imagine it is, no?

Re: Even Microsoft Notepad is getting AI text editing now

#266

Post by reaperducer »

brianjlogan wrote: post #242
rqtwteye wrote: post #236

This seems to be a common trend everywhere. Instead of improving core functionality they add the latest buzzword tech, no matter it make sense or not. I am user of GaiaGPS to plan outdoors trips. Same there: the app is good but has some problems. Instead of fixing the problems they added social functionality which nobody really wants.

This is your tried and true. C level read a magazine, mandatory implementation order, engineer ticks the checkbox and waits for hype to pass so they can remove it.

C level read a magazine, mandatory implementation order

A magazine would be an improvement. I worked in a place where the owners were very susceptible to airport billboard ads.

Every time they came back from a trip, we would brace for change.

Re: Even Microsoft Notepad is getting AI text editing now

#268

Post by RajT88 »

stewx wrote: post #221
arresin wrote: post #197

> It’s worth noting that you’ll have to sign in to your Microsoft account to use Rewrite, as it’s “powered by a cloud-based service that requires authentication and authorization.” They are truly data leeches trying to lap at any cut you might have for a bit of tasty data.

I presume this is for applying rate-limiting, so their API doesn't get utterly abused

They can do that other ways...your system already has a bunch of unique identifiers built into it they could use.

Re: Even Microsoft Notepad is getting AI text editing now

#270

Post by RajT88 »

llm_nerd wrote: post #226
optymizer wrote: post #74

Software companies want to shove AI everywhere because it's the shiny new thing. Hardware companies love it because they can finally have a way to fight the "it's good enough for email and browsing" argument to sell us more hardware.

They're shoving AI everywhere because it's extraordinarily powerful and truly differentiating. Being jaded and cynical about it doesn't change that reality. Obviously there will be winners and losers and it will shake out -- personally I can't imagine using notepad for more than pasting arbitrary text and it seems like the least features is the best -- but bonafide text tools without AI in 2024 are crippling.

My favorite use of notepad is cleaning my clipboard of formatted data.

Yes, you can use Ctrl+alt+v but not all applications support it, and not all applications that do consistently respect it.

The windows clipboard is a functional mess and getting worse.

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