91–100 of 207 posts
Been using LLMs since got3 beta in June 2021 and it’s interesting to see how my use cases have continuously been upgraded as models advanced. Started off with having it create funny random stories, to slowly creating more and more advanced programs. It’s shocking how good 3.5 Sonnet is at coding, considering the size of the model.
We don't know the size of Claude 3.5 Sonnet or any other Anthropic model.
I have about 6 months of coding experience. All I really knew was how to build a basic MERN app I’ve been using Sonnet 3.5 to code and I’ve managed to build multiple full fledged apps, including paid ones Maybe they’re not perfect, but they work and I’ve had no complaints yet. They might not scale to become the next Facebook, but not everything has to scale
I learned to drive before in-car GPS was widely available, at least where I lived. Going to some new place meant getting a map, looking at it, making a plan, following the plan, keeping track on the map, that sort of thing. Then I traveled somewhere new, for the first time, with GPS and a navigation sofware. It was quite impressive, and rather easier. I got to my destination the first time, without any problems. And…
Make hay while the sun shines, friends. It might not last forever, but neither will you!
The first prompt (with o1) will get you 60% there, but then you have a different workflow. The prompts can get to a local minimum, where claude/gpt4/etc.. just can't do any better. At which point you need to climb back out and try a different approach.
I recommend git branches to keep track of this. Keep a good working copy in main, and anytime you want to add a feature, make a branch. If you get it almost there, make another branch in case it goes sideways. The biggest issue with developing like this is that you are not a coder anymore; you are a puppet master of a very smart and sometimes totally confused brain.
I have about 6 months of coding experience. All I really knew was how to build a basic MERN app I’ve been using Sonnet 3.5 to code and I’ve managed to build multiple full fledged apps, including paid ones Maybe they’re not perfect, but they work and I’ve had no complaints yet. They might not scale to become the next Facebook, but not everything has to scale
I learned to drive before in-car GPS was widely available, at least where I lived. Going to some new place meant getting a map, looking at it, making a plan, following the plan, keeping track on the map, that sort of thing. Then I traveled somewhere new, for the first time, with GPS and a navigation sofware. It was quite impressive, and rather easier. I got to my destination the first time, without any problems. And…
There are so many small tasks that I could, but until now almost never would automate (whether it's not worth the time [1] or I just couldn't bring myself to do it as I don't really enjoy doing it). A one-off bitmask parser at work here, a proof of concept webapp at home there – it's literally opened up a new world of quality-of-life improvements, in a purely quantitative sense.
It extends beyond UI and web development too: Very often I find myself thinking that there must be a smarter way to use CLI tools like jq, zsh etc., but considering how rarely I use them and that I do already know an ineffective way of getting what I need, up until now I couldn't justify spending the hours of going through documentation on the moderately high chance of finding a few useful nuggets letting me shave off a minute here and there every month.
The same applies to SQL: After plateauing for several years (I get by just fine for my relatively narrow debugging and occasional data migration needs), LLMs have been much better at exposing me to new and useful patterns than dry and extensive documentation. (There are technical documents I really do enjoy reading, but SQL dialect specifications, often without any practical motivation as to when to use a given construct, are really not it.)
LLMs have generally been great at that, but being able to immediately run what they suggest in-browser is where Claude currently has the edge for me. (ChatGPT Plus can apparently evaluate Python, but that's server-side only and accordingly doesn't really allow interactive use cases.)
I have about 6 months of coding experience. All I really knew was how to build a basic MERN app I’ve been using Sonnet 3.5 to code and I’ve managed to build multiple full fledged apps, including paid ones Maybe they’re not perfect, but they work and I’ve had no complaints yet. They might not scale to become the next Facebook, but not everything has to scale
>I played around a lot with code when I was younger. I built my first site when I was 13 and had a good handle on Javascript back when jQuery was still a pipe dream.
>Started with the Codecademy Ruby track which was pretty easy. Working through RailsTutorial right now.
posted on April 15, 2015, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9382537
>I've been freelancing since I was 17. I've dabbled in every kind of online trade imaginable, from domain names to crypto. I've built and sold multiple websites. I also built and sold a small agency.
>I can do some marketing, some coding, some design, some sales, but I'm not particularly good at any of those in isolation.
posted on Jan 20, 2023, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34459482
So I don't really understand where this claim of only "6 months of coding experience" is coming from, when you clearly have been coding on and off for multiple decades.
I have about 6 months of coding experience. All I really knew was how to build a basic MERN app I’ve been using Sonnet 3.5 to code and I’ve managed to build multiple full fledged apps, including paid ones Maybe they’re not perfect, but they work and I’ve had no complaints yet. They might not scale to become the next Facebook, but not everything has to scale
We’ll see what the future holds but as an old timer, using LLMs to creat applications seems exactly the same as: Python/JS and their ecosystem replacing OS hosted C/C++ which replaced bare metal Assembly which replaced digital logic which replaced analog circuits which replaced mechanical design as the “standard goto tool” for how to create programs. Starting with punchcard looms and Ada Lovelace maybe. In every case…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Genuine question: Do you feel like you're learning the language/frameworks/techniques well? Or do you feel like you're just getting more adept at leveraging the LLM? Do you think you could you maintain and/or debug someone else's application?
Not as much as I would have if I was writing everything from scratch. But then again, my goal isn’t to be a coder or get a job as a coder - I’m primarily a marketer and got into coding simply because I had a stack of ideas I wanted to experiment with Most of the things I’ve built are fun things See: GoUnfaked.com and PlaybookFM.com as examples PlaybookFM.com is interesting because everything from the code to the podc…
Everyone on HN tells me how LLMs are horrible, yet I’ve saved literally hundreds of hours with them so far. I guess we’re just lucky.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Could you please explain why? I'm trying to think how is it depressing and can't come up with anything.
Because we don’t believe it’s equal quality to our job, so we see cheap competition arriving with swathes of bad products, but no way for customers to distinguish what makes quality. Plus we all create bugs anyway.
What is depressing to me is that the products showcased here are essentially cookie-cutter derivatives built on and around the AI hype cycle. They're barely UI wrappers around LLMs marketed as something groundbreaking. So the thought of the web being flooded with these kinds of sites, in addition to the increase in spam and other AI generated content, is just depressing.
For years I've kept a list of apps / ideas / products I may do someday. I never made the time, with Cursor AI I have already built one, and am working on another. It's enabling me to use frameworks I barely know, like React Native, Swift, etc.. The first prompt (with o1) will get you 60% there, but then you have a different workflow. The prompts can get to a local minimum, where claude/gpt4/etc.. just can't do any be…
This is one fact that people seem to severely under-appreciate about LLMs.
They're significantly worse at coding in many aspects than even a moderately skilled and motivated intern, but for my hobby projects, until now I haven't had any intern that would even as much as taking a stab at some of the repetitive or just not very interesting subtasks, let alone stick with them over and over again without getting tired of it.