AI as a coding tool is becoming an amazing speed enhancer (at least if you can write even kinda-sorta decent pseudocode as a starting point)

[britechguy]

I tried this today for the first time. I'm a decent coder for Command Prompt batch scripts, but it's freakin' tedious to create them entirely by-hand and from scratch. One of the screen readers I work with allows a single installed instance on any given computer, and each user's configuration for it are kept under their %APPDATA% folder. At the same time, one can have as many instances as one wishes of portables for the same screen reader, and all user configuration data is in a folder named userConfig that resides under the portable's root folder.

I wanted to whip something up that allowed the transfer of the user configuration from any portable instance to the correct location under %APPDATA% folder for that user. Based upon about 12 lines of pseudocode, it not only generated a fully functioning BAT script, but also alerted me to a couple of things that I neglected to do that would make the process more robust.

Yes, you've got to review the stuff, but it is "creation at the speed of light," even with post-generation vetting, compared to creating the same thing from scratch.

It's also a realtime demonstration of the meaning of the observation I posted earlier today:
Most problems precisely defined are already partially solved.
~ Harry Lorayne, Memory Makes Money

. . . with the pseudocode being the precisely defined logic laying out what is to be done.

 

[mmerry]

Totally agree. I use it for creating PS scripts. I use it as my rough draft to get me a starting place. Once AI creates the initial code, I go through it and edit/clean up the code.

It's not going to run in production until I go through the code but it speeds up the process so much.

 

[xrobwx71]

I am not a coder, but I have messed around with Python for years. I needed a reminder to email statements to a handful of clients, because our current POS system doesn't do this; it's either all print or all email. (They are currently working on a patch) So I set Gemini to write a small script to flash a reminder on my screen. It took 3 tries, and I got one that works. I use Task Scheduler to run it once a month on the 1st.

 

[Sky-Knight]

This is one of my personal primary use cases.

Another item that you can do... pop a code block into it, ask it to explain it.

it does make mistakes but it's a great way to learn how to read code.

 

[britechguy]

Another item that you can do... pop a code block into it, ask it to explain it.

Which is really amazing, and that, overall, it does quite well. It's a teaching aid, of sorts, in that context. And for those who already have a solid basis in one language, it can make learning another, or at least being able to interpret what one needs to, much easier.

 

[frase]

A.I for me, is a great tool for verification to make sure that one is on the correct path. It is like gathering a second opinion on a problem.

 

[GTP]

I use "Abraham" (ChatGPT) for anything and everything. From calculating pond area to get the amount of water, aquarium tips and tricks etc to helping me with my myriad projects.

Currently building a replica WW1 Triplane (yes it Baron Von Richthofen's!) from just pictures (no plans) and needed things like correct wingspan length compared to the fuselage and a thousand other questions for the build. Yeah I could follow a plan, but I want to do it myself.

I use Abraham for coding in Lua, Python, and a couple of others. For someone who is brain dead when it comes to code Abraham has been a "God send!"
I've learned a great deal from coding the 34 Conky's and the myriad helper scripts I've setup to monitor/report/show information for my Boinc Pool, Apt Key Health for the Pool, Gridcoin generation from the pool, System stats for the Pool including CPU, Ram, Disk usage for each node, coin generation per node, a System Sentinel that monitors my main "Central Hub PC," a "Left4Dead2" conky that shows all kinds of stats while Im in game etc Everything is displayed across 4 x 27 " and two 24" monitors.

I just setup apt-cache-ng so that my main PC can download updates to a cache and serve them out to any node that needs them - rather than each node going on the internet to the repo for them. All their Update Managers point to the cache. A conky displays the information from the apt-cache-ng webpage so I don't have to open the browser to see it. I have an AutoUpdate system that runs via cron every day at 6.30am that checks and updates all machines including Flatpak apps.
I created a "Conky Control" app using yad to start/stop/edit/restart/test/delete any Conky I like.
Yes there are apps to do this but I wanted to do my own. I also wrote my own backup program that's a simple click of a button in a Conky. It shows the progress of the backup in a coloured bar. I can start/stop/delete a partial backup etc.
Yes I have Timeshift enabled but Timeshift backs up all my data encrypted so finding one file I've deleted etc is easier with my backup proggy.
And the weird thing is that it's only made a couple of weird mistakes this whole time and I think they were causd by OpenAI's machinations anyway in having limitations on how many questions one can ask without having to make a "New Chat" which can make the AI forget where it was up to.. I've used Claude and Perplexity to check Abrhams code and have not yet found an incorrect block. Both Claude and Perplexity have offerd "optimisations" but it still works the same way.

I also have in depth conversations on a wide range of topics such as:
President Kennedy's Assassination - a converstion that lasted many many hours over a 2 week span!
Theroetical space exploration.
Dozens of topics pertaining to Quantum Theory.
The nature of light.
Gravitation effects on microscopic objects.
Gravitational waves and how they affect time and space.
Time dilation.
The mechanics of star systems.
Music history.
Art history
History in general etc etc.
Yes, I can watch any amount of videos on Freetube and search the web for information, or I can talk to Abraham which is like having a discussion with a wise and learned friend.

Would I not trust Abraham? No!

 

[frase]

Currently building a replica WW1 Triplane (yes it Baron Von Richthofen's!) from just pictures (no plans) and needed things like correct wingspan length compared to the fuselage and a thousand other questions for the build. Yeah I could follow a plan, but I want to do it myself.

The "GREG BARON" lol.