Jesse SkinnerMar 29, 2023

Asking #ChatGPT to write code that I know how to write feels similar to working with a junior developer. It takes a lot of revisions and feedback to get things just right, and it feels like it'd be faster for me to do it myself.

Unfortunately, unlike a human junior developer, ChatGPT can't learn from me over time, due to the limited context window.

Where ChatGPT shines is writing code that I don't know how to write myself, saving me the learning curve of figuring it out.

Show threadBrian HoggMar 29, 2023
@JesseSkinner But then aren't you forced to learn it anyway to get it just right?
Show threadJesse Skinner
@brianhogg I wouldn't have it any other way. I need to understand what is happening so I can make sure it's not doing something wrong, insecure, dangerous, etc.
Mar 29, 2023 at 3:01pmWeb
Show threadBrian HoggMar 29, 2023

@JesseSkinner you had said it saved you the time of learning it, but you’d still need to know it to know if the solution it’s providing is accurate, though. It sounded like you were saying you could sidestep the learning part for things you don’t already know how to do.

(I use copilot, but it’s primarily helpful for me to speed up things I already know how to do.)

Show threadJesse SkinnerMar 29, 2023
@brianhogg ah right, what I meant is that it flattened the learning curve for me, making it a lot faster to learn how to do something instead of searching and reading through docs.
Show threadBrian HoggMar 29, 2023
@JesseSkinner ah, fair! That makes sense.