[mjrbrennan]

Not trying to be rude here, but that `last_week.md` is horrible to me. I can't imagine having to read that let alone listen to the computer say it to me. It's so much blah blah and fluff that reads like a bad PR piece. I'd much rather scan through commits of the last week.

I've found this generally with AI summaries...usually their writing style is terrible, and I feel like I cannot really trust them to get the facts right, and reading the original text is often faster and better.

[never_inline]

Here's a system prompt I tend to use

    ## Instructions
    * Be concise
    * Use simple sentences. But feel free to use technical jargon.
    * Do NOT overexplain basic concepts. Assume the user is technically proficient.
    * AVOID flattering, corporate-ish or marketing language. Maintain a neutral viewpoint.
    * AVOID vague and / or generic claims which may seem correct but are not substantiated by the the context.

Cannot completely avoid hallucinations and it's good to avoid AI for text that's used for human-to-human communication. But this makes AI answers to coding and technical questions easier to read.

[NewsaHackO]

>it's good to avoid AI for text that's used for human-to-human communication.

Assuming it is fact checked, why?

[WD-42]

I felt the same thing about the onboarding. Like what future are we trying to build for ourselves here, exactly? The kind where instead of sitting down with a coworker to learn about a codebase, instead we get an ai generated PowerPoint to read alone????

Im so over this timeline.

[JohnMakin]

all of this just reads like the supposed UML zeitgeist that was supposed to transform java and eliminate development 20 years ago

if this is all ultimately java but with even more steps, its a sign im definitely getting old. it’s just the same pattern of non technical people deceiving themselves into believing they dont need to be technical to build tech and then ultimately resulting in again 10-20 years of re-learning the painful lessons of that.

let me off this train too im tired already

[mjrbrennan]

Yes that's what gets me too. I want to engage with my coworkers, you know other humans? And get their ideas and input and summaries. Not just sit in my office alone having the computer explain everything to me badly, or read through Powerpoints of all things...

[CuriouslyC]

Naw, the new future (technically the present for orgs that use AI intelligently) is:

The AI already generated comprehensive README.md files and detailed module/function/variable (as needed) doc comments, which you could read but end up mostly being consumed by another AI, so you can just tell it what you're trying to do and ask it how you might accomplish that in the codebase, first at a conceptual level, then in code once you feel comfortable enough with the system to be able to validate the work.

All the while you're sitting next to another coworker who's also doing the same thing, while you talk about high level architecture stuff, make jokes, and generally have a good time. Shit, I don't even mind open offices as much as I used to, because you don't need that intense focus to get into a groove to produce code quickly like you did when manually writing it, so you can actually have conversations with an entire table of coworkers and still be super productive.

No comment on the political/climate side of this timeline, but the AI part is pretty good when you master it.

[crucialfelix]

Usually the tricks and problems in a codebase are not in the codebase at all, they are in somebody's head.

It would be helpful if I had a long rambling dialogue with a chat model and it distilled that.

[fennecfoxy]

Yup, you can always tell LLMs just from the ridiculous output most of the time. Like 8-20 sentences minimum, for the most basic thing.

Even Gemini/gpt4o/etc are all guilty of this. Maybe they'll tighten things up at some point - if I ask an assistant a simple question like "is it possible to put apples into a pie?" what I want is "Yes, it is possible to put apples into a pie. Would you like to know more?"

But not "Yes, absolutely — putting apples into a pie is not only possible, it's classic! Apple pie is one of the most well-known and traditional fruit pies. Typically, sliced apples are mixed with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sometimes lemon juice or flour, then baked inside a buttery crust. You can use various types of apples depending on the flavor and texture you want (like Granny Smith for tartness or Honeycrisp for sweetness). Would you like a recipe or tips on which apples work best?" (from gpt4).

[fullstackchris]

Yeah I was done at "What happened here was more than just code..." -_-

[jsjohnst]

You got past the grey text on gray background? -_-

[ozim]

Python, a journey that began with an initial commit and evolved through a series of careful refinements to establish a robust foundation for the project..

Wow yeah what a waste. That is exactly the opposite of saving time.

[block_dagger]

You can specify desired style in the prompt. The author seems to like PR sounding fluff while making morning coffee.

[TeMPOraL]

If this was meant to be read, I might've agreed, but:

1) This was supposed to be piped through TTS and listened to in the background, and...

2) People like podcasts.

Your typical podcast is much worse than this. It's "blah blah" and "hahaha <interaction>" and "ooh <emoting>" and "<irrelevant anecdote>" and "<turning facts upside down and injecting a lie for humorous effect>", and maybe some of the actual topic mixed in between, and yet for some reason, people love it.

I honestly doubt this specific thing would be useful for me, but I'm not going to assume it's plain dumb, because again, podcasts are worse, and people love it.

[xandrius]

What kind of podcast have you listened to, if any?

They aren't all Joe Rogan.

[TZubiri]

Remember the sycophant bug? Maybe making the user FEELGOOD is part of what makes it feel smart or like a good experience. Is the reward function being smart? Is it maximizing interaction? Does it conflict with being accurate?

[joshstrange]

I ran the prompt as-is on one of the main repos that I work on and the sycophancy was cloying.

It praised so many things that I would just consider table steaks and made simple tweaks or features sound like massive projects.

I’m sure it could be improved by tweaking the prompt and there were parts of it that I found impressive that it had picked out (specifically things not in commit messages) but I found it unusable in its current form.

[rsynnott]

Yeah, I honestly don't know how anyone can put up with reading this sort of thing, much less have it read to them by a computer(!)

I suppose preferences differ, but really, does anyone _like_ this sort of writing style?

[beigebrucewayne]

I agree, it's atrocious!

1. I shouldn't have used a newly created repo that had no real work over the course of the last week.

2. I should have put more time into the prompt to make it sound less nails on chalkboard.