Albeit they are fairly context aware as to what you are asking. So they can save a lot of RTFM and code/test cycles. At times they can look at the functions that are already built, and write new ones for you, if you can begin to describe the function well.
But if you want to write a good function, like written to fit tightly to specifications. Its too much English. You need to describe in steps what is to be done, plus exceptions. And at some point you are just doing logic programming(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic_programming) In the sense that whole english text looks like a list of and/or situations + exceptions.
So you have to go one atomic step(a decision statement and a loop) at a time. But thats a big productivity boost too. Reason being able to put lots of text in place without you having to manually type it out.
>>you could just write this code yourself much faster than trying to describe what you want to the LLM in natural language?
Honestly speaking most of coding is manually laborious if you don't know touch typing. And even if you did know its a chore.
I remember when I started using co-pilot with react it was doing a lot of otherwise typing work I'd have to do.
>>I cannot imagine any decently competent programmer gaining productivity from these tools if this is how limited they still are
IMO opinion, my brain atleast over the years has seen so many code patterns, debugging situations and what to anticipate and assemble as I go, that having some intelligent typing assistant is a major productivity boost.
>>Why are people so bullish on them?
Eventually newer programming languages will come along and people will build larger things.
Albeit they are fairly context aware as to what you are asking. So they can save a lot of RTFM and code/test cycles. At times they can look at the functions that are already built, and write new ones for you, if you can begin to describe the function well.
But if you want to write a good function, like written to fit tightly to specifications. Its too much English. You need to describe in steps what is to be done, plus exceptions. And at some point you are just doing logic programming(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic_programming) In the sense that whole english text looks like a list of and/or situations + exceptions.
So you have to go one atomic step(a decision statement and a loop) at a time. But thats a big productivity boost too. Reason being able to put lots of text in place without you having to manually type it out.
>>you could just write this code yourself much faster than trying to describe what you want to the LLM in natural language?
Honestly speaking most of coding is manually laborious if you don't know touch typing. And even if you did know its a chore.
I remember when I started using co-pilot with react it was doing a lot of otherwise typing work I'd have to do.
>>I cannot imagine any decently competent programmer gaining productivity from these tools if this is how limited they still are
IMO opinion, my brain atleast over the years has seen so many code patterns, debugging situations and what to anticipate and assemble as I go, that having some intelligent typing assistant is a major productivity boost.
>>Why are people so bullish on them?
Eventually newer programming languages will come along and people will build larger things.