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399 points nomdep | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.201s | source
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dpcan ◴[] No.44295447[source]
This article is just simply not true for most people who have figured out how to use AI properly when coding. Since switching to Cursor, my coding speed and efficiency has probably increased 10x conservatively. When I'm using it to code in languages I've used for 25+ years, it's a breeze to look over the function it just saved me time by pre-thinking and typing it out for me. Could I have done it myself, yeah, but it would have taken longer if I even had to go lookup one tiny thing in the documentation, like order of parameters for a function, or that little syntax thing I never use...

Also, the auto-complete with tools like Cursor are mind blowing. When I can press tab to have it finish the next 4 lines of a prepared statement, or it just knows the next 5 variables I need to define because I just set up a function that will use them.... that's a huge time saver when you add it all up.

My policy is simple, don't put anything AI creates into production if you don't understand what it's doing. Essentially, I use it for speed and efficiency, not to fill in where I don't know at all what I'm doing.

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asciimov ◴[] No.44295477[source]
Out of curiosity how much are you spending on AI?

How much do you believe a programmer needs to layout to “get good”?

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1. epiccoleman ◴[] No.44295676[source]
I am currently subscribed to Claude Pro, which is $20/mo and gives you plenty to experiment with by giving you access to Projects and MCP in Claude Desktop and also Claude Code for a flat monthly fee. (I think there are usage limits but I haven't hit them).

I've probably fed $100 in API tokens into the OpenAI and Anthropic consoles over the last two years or so.

I was subscribed to Cursor for a while too, though I'm kinda souring on it and looking at other options.

At one point I had a ChatGPT pro sub, I have found Claude more valuable lately. Same goes for Gemini, I think it's pretty good but I haven't felt compelled to pay for it.

I guess my overall point is you don't have to break the bank to try this stuff out. Shell out the $20 for a month, cancel immediately, and if you miss it when it expires, resub. $20 is frankly a very low bar to clear - if it's making me even 1% more productive, $20 is an easy win.