Brian Swetland

Recently I saw someone remark that they find "AI" useful for generating commit messages.

Just now I was writing a commit message. Out of long habit, I do that while reviewing a diff of the change I'm about to commit. This is very useful for catching errors (ranging from actual incorrect code to accidentally checking in some debug prints or a including a whole file not meant for *this* commit).

And I thought "wow, I'd bet anything my code quality would go down if I outsourced that to 'AI'".

Feb 13 at 11:07pmWeb
Show threadMike RoachFeb 13
@swetland I can’t imagine AI generating any useful commit messages or code documentation because the really need to include *why* you did something and tradesoffs considered and other thought processes. AI can’t do that.
And big agree on it being another opportunity to find mistakes or gaps in logic or functionality!
Show threadGraydonFeb 14

@swetland Well, yeah, but you're trying to do an effective job.

It cannot be possible that I should need to tell you this is not universally the case.

Show threadBrian SwetlandFeb 14

@graydon Yeah, mostly I'm just venting.

These tools all feel just fundamentally anti-thinking, anti-understanding, anti-learning to me.

I mean it's not quite hitting yourself in the head with a hammer, but it still seems like a pretty bad idea to me.

Show threadGraydonFeb 14

@swetland I am in sympathy with the venting!

I generally find the "the neuron you have reached is not in service" folks easier to deal with than the "do the ritual without understanding, understanding is work" folks. At least in terms of stress and stomach lining.

Show threadDave AirlieFeb 14
@swetland we often write commit msgs from an aspirational space of this what I meant this commit to do, not what the code I wrote in this commit is doing. Having AI also write a commit msg and seeing if we agree with it might be helpful to catch those.
Show threaddraNgNonFeb 14
@swetland I too look at diffs when writing commit measages
Show threadF4GRX SébastienFeb 14
@draNgNon @swetland who doesnt?
Show thread⏚ Antoine Chambert-LoirFeb 14
@swetland just a simple question: how do you do, technically, to review the diff of the commit you're about to make?
Show threadBrian SwetlandFeb 14
@antoinechambertloir Not sure I follow the question... I typically am looking at the output of git diff in one terminal while I'm composing the commit message in another.
Show thread⏚ Antoine Chambert-LoirFeb 14
@swetland that definitely answers my question, thank you !
Show threadRupert RawnsleyFeb 14
@swetland you are underestimating AI. At least know your enemy. Claude Code on Opus 4.6 is fire stolen from the gods. Like you I’m a real programmer of many years who loves the craft, but this technology is the biggest step forward since the Internet or mobile. There are always half price offers if you want a link.