Copilot is great, but a hundred bucks for what is basically a smart autocomplete seems a bit much - mostly, I hate the fact that the code is constantly transmitted to github (my repos are mostly local) - are there any reasonably convenient options for doing this without github looking over my shoulder all the time? I’m using VSCode but not wedded to it.
The alternative is… YOU!
Invest in yourself, get training/practice, and eventually you will become strong enough you realize you don’t need any autocomplete! :)
Thanks! Respectfully, I think I’m OK on that side of the equation. But you’re right - you should invest in your own learning and self-directed growth - this applies to all facets of life, not just writing python modules.
I like using copilot. Now that we aren’t using punch cards to write monolithic BASIC and we have an internet to work with, most of the brain work in programming is component-based integration. AI makes typing out code a LOT faster, so I won’t be ditching it to resume writing out for-loops end-to-end. I just don’t want every line of code available to github and definitely don’t want to fund the walled AI model if I can find a way around it.
Copilot isn’t really about needing autocomplete, it’s about not wasting time writing predictable long lines of code. One example I use is MPI calls, they take tons of parameters and doesn’t really require much brainwork, instead of writing it all, you let copilot do it and just quickly read it to check.
IMO consistent repeated “writing predictable long lines” means the code smells of abstractions that can be improved, i.e. if autocomplete is really saving someone that much time, there are likely even worse problems.
My example with MPI is the best I have, I can’t do anything about it, the MPI functions are just really long and copilot can predict really well how to fill them.