The problem with reading vs writing is building "true understanding". If you are reading code at a high level and building a perfect mental model and reading every bit of code, then you're doing it right. But many folks see finished code and get "LGTM brain" and don't necessarily fully think out every command on every line, leading to poor understanding of code. This is a huge drawback in LLM-assisted coding. Folks re-read code they "wrote" and have no memory of it at all.

In the edit experience I am using, the LLM provides a git style changelog where I can easily compare before/after with a really detailed diff. I find that much more useful than giant "blobs" of code where minor differences crop up that I don't notice.

The other massive drawback to the out-of-codebase chatbot experience (and the Edit With Copilot experience IS a chatbot, it's just integrated into the editor, changes files with diffs, and has a UI for managing file context) is context. I can effortlessly load all my open files into the LLM context with 1 click. The out-of-editor chatbox requires either a totally custom LLM with various layers to handle your codebase context, or you have to manually paste in a lot of context. It's nonsense to waste time pasting proprietary code into OpenAI (with no business agreement other than a privacy policy and a checkbox) when I can get Copilot to sign a BA with strict rules about privacy and storage, and then 1-click add my open files to my context.

Folks should give these new experiences a try. Having claude chatbot integrated into your editor with the ability to see and modify your open files in a collaborative chat experience is very nice.