I sometimes write scripts in Windows #PowerShell because it's a programming tool that is widely available in my environment without requiring any additional installs. I find the syntax to be clunky, but it's capable.
As I've noted before, I'm required to use Copilot at work, so I use it for tasks like this to burn tokens and earn work termination deferment points.
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#MicrosoftCopilot #MicrosoftAnnoyances #ScottComputerProgramming #ScottProgramming
Hmm, maybe a more pithy and enginerd-canonical way to phrase this is Computer-Aided Deskilling.
#ComputerAidedDeskilling #ScottComputing #ScottProgramming #ScottArtificialIntelligence #ScottLLMs
Me, just now: ugh, why doesn't this stupid IDE just suggest the syntax correction instead of making me remember it and figure it out.
!!!
Oof, I've already started becoming lazy using the (company-manded) chat LLM to help diagnose errors. I don't see how a new programmer is ever going to develop the skills and patience to debug a major problem.
ERROR 180-322: Statement is not valid or it is used out of proper order.
A lot of the analytical work I do really adapts well to #Jupyter Notebooks. It's very helpful to organize the code into logical chunks, one chunk per cell.
However, now I want to re-run the entire workbook, changing only one parameter.
Is there an easy way to do that without merging all the cells together?
ETA: My notebook has a parameter section at the top, but now I want to re-run for a range of values that would be a pain to do manually.
@vathpela @joshbressers In the spirit of being constructive:
I've looked at Rust a bit. I've coded professionally in both C and C++, and I can see a bit of why C and C++ people might not like Rust.
If someone can add memory safety to C in a way that otherwise is extremely minimal in how the new code looks, great. I'm not an expert in developing programming languages, but I can see how that might be challenging given a few C things like the language is not type strict.
I got into an argument with #Microsoft #Copilot today.
I asked for PowerShell code to trim the first N digits from every filename in a directory. Testing showed it actually removed 2·N characters. When I reported the bug, Copilot insisted that was impossible and said I must have run it twice.
I knew the cause and the fix, but I treated it as a learning exercise to see what it would take to get Copilot to correct itself.
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In #Python, you could write sensible and transparent code, like this:
if (curNode):
curNode = curNode.next
But if you prefer something that is functionally identical, but harder to read, try this:
curNode and (curNode := curNode.next)
Follow me for more great tips on how to make life hell for the next person working with your code (which could be you).
I heard from a colleague that a system was just identified with a y2k bug.
Wait, how is that possible?!
A system was using 2 digits to store and transmit the year. To resolve the initial y2k problem, the system employed the date window technique, where that window ended with 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_windowing
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In 15 years, when half of the worlds critical software is LLM-infested, indecipherable vibe-coded spaghetti, and there aren’t enough traditionally-trained software engineers to hire because the entry-level pipeline was strangled in 2025, and people my generation have all retired, well…
Well just remember I said this would happen.
#VibeCoding #ChatGPT #ScottProgramming #ScottThoughts #ScottEconomics #Year2025
Scott Miller 🇺🇦 🇺🇸