AI Tools in Coding: Progress or Just Optimization of the Status Quo? Pondered the future of coding with a colleague of mine recently, as one does. Couldn't help feeling a tad underwhelmed by the programming tools like GitHub's Copilot X and ChatGPT. Sure, these AI-powered coding buddies are smart, helpful and do save time, but they more or less tinker around the edges - optimize the existing processes but don't fundamentally alter them. Software development still remains a tedious enterprise - a loop of problem-definition, code-generation, code-validation, and feedback. Not so different from what it was 30 years ago really. We're surrounded by subpar software everywhere - the bugs, the slowness, the... 25 March 2023
How do we debug? Today, we dissected a classic programmer joke about the stages of debugging and why we find it funny while it reflects a dire situation. We pondered why our first instinct is to dismiss a bug, dug into invalid claims about machines, and appreciated the shift from denial and blame to accepting responsibility and finding solutions. After deconstructing the old stages of debugging, we reconstructed healthier, proactive stages with prime focus on problem-solving. Next, we explored different types of bugs from easy user interface bugs to the complex Heisenbugs. Lastly, I highlighted logging, debuggers, and good old human brainpower as instrumental... 25 August 2020