After using Github Copilot for a couple of weeks, it doesn't seem to do much other than Stackoverflow/blog copy paste. Does anyone get much else from it when writing non-boilerplate, non-tutorial, and non-stackoverflow types of code?
It costs 10$/month and probably saves me hours in stupid boilerplate, not just because it reduces typing but because the kind of typing it fixes is the boring stuff that gets me out of flow.
And boilerplate is a vague term, good example of copilot "AI" features :
function(a, b, c, d) {
if(a ...) { ..
}
if(b // starts generalizing from a case but is very context aware
// here it's already doing c and d
}
And tests - sometimes it can generate a correct test with mocks just from function name, sometimes it's garbage - but it's really easy to glance at which it is.
My current experience with copilot for ~2 months is that it's really good at such boilerplate, it's annoying when it's late or fails at what I expect it but, and it makes generating boilerplate code very cheap so it can lead to a lot of duplication.
If you're good enough you know to pick up when you should apply DRY and when not, you'll get a feel when copilot is useful and it will be a decent productivity boost IMO. If they made it faster and more reliable (just for the cases I already use it for) I would pay >100$ month out of pocket for sure.
Is it writing meaningful code for me? Nah. Is it helpful? Certainly.
I've found it amazing when working in semi-familiar programming languages. I'm primarily a Ruby dev, but currently working in Python. The languages are close enough that it's an easy transition, but they do a lot of fundamentals differently.
Previously, it'd be extremely disruptive to my thought-process to have to go lookup basic functions, like checking array lengths or running a regex on a string.
Now, I just write a comment like `# check array length` or `# on x_var, run this regex "\s+"`. Copilot spits back what I need (or at least close enough to avoid having to break context).
Even in core languages, I'm finding it very useful for writing system calls or niche functionality that I don't use frequently. My mental model knows what needs to be done, but I don't remember the exact calls off the top of my head.
Not necessarily better than SO but I find it nice to see options.
Not that I find it as useful as most people do, but there is a difference...
It's also not that great with go, but surprisingly (to me) still better than C#.
Copilot is fantastic at predicting where I'm heading next once I give it a little bit of a start. It helps me work out unfamiliar functions that I might need to chain, or syntax I'm not entirely familiar with.
I'd say it's a big winner for me.