So I have been using Github’s new extension for Visual studio code and I have finally cobbled together my thoughts. In short, it’s useful, but not by a lot.
For those of use that have experience with automated suggestion software. Copilot takes this to the next level by examining your old code and code of your project it can try to understand what you are doing-especially if you write comments. Many people have heard of this new project and thought computer science is dead if robots can code we are in for a bad time. I can tell you after using Copilot for months let me just say it’s not even close to that level of sophistication.
Copilot does one thing best it reminds you to make comments. That’s why I recommend using it, you will try to get some automation and end up making documentation.
And even still you have to get it started with the first few characters, verify the code even if it’s simple, and still write half of it
one after another not all at the same time maybe once and a while it will write multiple lines but it normally can’t do that
When it comes to small programs and assignments it’s useless you can’t take a Leetcode question or HW and not have to verify test run debug or just plain rewrite it’s just not good enough. Big software with more lines and examples or similar functions is more efficient either way it takes more work than people first thought. Currently, I think Copilot saves you time if you already designed the system in your head or pseudo but if you are testing and don’t have time to write comments you will spend more time documenting and correcting. It also will sometimes flat out ignore what your variable names are or their casing or misunderstand scope.
It will sometimes fill out if statements for you as long as you don’t put both paratheses. For a technology developed by a billion-dollar company and with millions of lines of stolen code, I will admit I was expecting a little more quality. At most, it will save you 7% of the time you would be coding which isn’t bad that is if Copilot can help you with the project. HTML and React(JSX) are weak points if I’m being honest basically hard to explain in comments and bad at auto-completing without them.
All these examples are not always the case some times it gets to work almost on its own but this is rare and frustrating as hell. It’s hard to predict what makes it work effectively.
Look out for the next One Byte at a time about Customizing your system and applications for the sake of development workflow.