What are some funny anecdotes that only software engineers would understand?

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ExperiencedDevs-ModTeam@reddit

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FoxyWheels@reddit

"I used to have well structured, thought out, and maintainable code, but not anymore! Thanks CoPilot!"

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Ya - I get where you’re coming from.

Just out of curiosity: you still use GenAI though, right? Obviously, if you use it the right way, you can achieve great results.

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It looks great to those that have no clue what standards or best practices are. Just like AI art. From far away, its amazing. Zoom in and suddenly people have 3 legs, 7 fingers, yes number of eyes, etc... Same for software.

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Just to clarify, you don’t use GenAI at all?

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ligirl@reddit

Line completion is great! Sometimes it'll even do a function correctly. Anything larger than that and it's crap. It's worse than crap when editing an existing codebase which is 95% of my work

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

I was going to say. I don’t really like for it to generate new code for me, out of the blue. It’s not great.

I do use it to generate code, if I’ve got a good example to feed it.

If I’ve written a function with the syntax and formatting that I want, I’ll ask it to write another function, using the first as an example. It works pretty well.

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SufficientCheck9874@reddit

I've done that as well. Works great first 5 or so prompts, then context takes a shit and it all falls apart. I tried to iteratively improve the function it generated, only for it to get worse each time.

I get best outcomes when starting an entirely session with 0 pre-existing context and giving at most 1 small paragraph of instructions. Otherwise it just creates slop that is too bothersome to reactor to be useful but just convincing enough that it isn't that bad of an idea.

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Oh ya - sorry - I didn’t see this comment before I responded to your other comment.

Ya - they should tell you the token limit. They try to hide it, but the responses degrade significantly. You’re right.

I keep everything as small and simple as I can. I split everything up. I don’t keep the prompt running. I deleted all context between manageable tasks.

Some things it does really well. Other things it always messes up. Who knows. It’s so funny to me these company that think these models will replace engineers haha. No right now for sure.

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SufficientCheck9874@reddit

Occasionally, but i will only use it if proofreading the output is less effort than trying to figure it out myself. As it is an LLM, it is just basically a search engine on steroids. You would end up with similar issues if you just copied random answers from stack overflow. The ai just makes the searching faster, but once again, as it is an llm, there is no guaranteed proof it is correct, so a human must proofread it.

As others have said, it's great for line completion, completing very well documented tasks, like implementing functions for some algos, but once you need something abstract with no real real world examples, it takes a shit and gives you shit served on a golden plate and gaslight you jnto thinking it is the best dish ever made (just like typical humans too lmao). Compared to stack overflow, for example, such a bad answer would get downvoted to hell, and you would never see it, but the llm doesn't do that.

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Ya - my main workflow is: “here’s this code and this code (with the syntax, style, and formatting I want). Write new code, using these examples as a guide, to do X, Y, Z.

It works pretty well. Without this approach, I probably wouldn’t use it to generate code.

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The_Real_Slim_Lemon@reddit

You use it for boiler plate when you know what you want - yeah it works great. You use it for research - also great (usually). You use it to actually write things - it’s hot trash. It’s a great assistive tool, but yeah anyone relying on it heavily is going to have a mess of a codebase.

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Ya - I agree. I’ve had a lot of success using other code as an example to write new, similar code.

Of course, you’ve got to already have some similar code written, but it still speeds things up once you’re adding and modifying things.

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FoolHooligan@reddit

the c suite is gonna love that

/s

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LoudAd1396@reddit

Years ago, I was working on a web site for some sort of Greek Women's Something Something Organization. They sent over an image file that contained a particular type of virus.

Beware of Greeks bearing GIFs

and yes, it was a Trojan

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Amazing 😂 Thank you!

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LoudAd1396@reddit

The other best story was when I asked a Japanese manufacturing company to send me a screenshot of an issue they were complaining about.

They B&W photocopied the laptop screen, then FAXED the copy to my email. This was in 2015 or so.

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

😂

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djerro6635381@reddit

“I used to Google ‘regex for email’ and end up on StackOverflow reading an argument from 2009 between two angry wizards. Now Copilot just gives me the regex. No incantations needed.”

Thanks Copilot! ;) (ChatGPT actually)

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johnbotris@reddit

Copilot gives you some regex. Hopefully it does what you want

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Actually, it’s a great idea! Thank you!

It can be tough to build complicated regex statements. We’ve all been there. Copilot can make it easy.

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ivancea@reddit

Well, you have to check what copilot gives you. And the only way to do that is to go to the SO discussion again

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ForgetTheRuralJuror@reddit

I like this one, since I'm frequently pissed off by email regexes when I use the + feature in Gmail to track who's selling my data.

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Key-Life1874@reddit

I used to think I needed to use a regex for email but not anymore.
Thanks Reddit :)

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moreVCAs@reddit

“… copilot, take the wheel! and that’s the story of how i lost both legs and the vision in one eye.”

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SecondSleep@reddit

Bro given that you're asking strangers on the Internet for unverifiable anecdotes, you may as well just ask copilot to do it for you

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ProfBeaker@reddit

Go more meta.

"I used to have to think of amusing anecdotes for my presentations, but not anymore! Thanks Copilot!"

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Well…. thanks Reddit… I would go to Copilot, if I wanted actual suggestions I guess? 😂

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stillbornstillhere@reddit

"thanks Reddit" 🙄🙄🙄

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

What’s wrong with “thanks Reddit”?

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thrynab@reddit

The snark, the arrogance, the conceit, all the while you’re looking for a fake anecdote to pretend to be authentic and likeable.

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Wait but 95% of the comments exhibit snark, arrogance and conceit.

This subreddit (and Reddit as a whole) is amazing. Hypocrisy at its finest.

Also, you weren’t given any information to indicate I’m giving a presentation. You were given information that it’s for a presentation. You’re making invalid assumptions here.

I’ve been tasked with finding these anecdotes for a presentation. I’m not using them to make myself authentic and likable. I’m not giving the presentation. I’m helping someone out.

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thrynab@reddit

No, I’m actually just seeing you here.

That friend of yours, does he live in Canada?

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

I don’t understand these words: “I’m actually just seeing you here.” Do you mean to indicate you read the post above?

The post above does not say I am giving a presentation. At best, it refers to the question in the title and indicates that the question is “for a presentation”. There’s no indication I’m the presenter. I’m not in fact the presenter, now that we’re discussing it.

Given the snark in the comments, and the fact that I’m not presenting (and hence trying to see relatable and authentic) - could you explain your point again?

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onemanforeachvill@reddit

You are welcome

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SketchySeaBeast@reddit

Live demonstration.

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Ahaha - Reddit…. How dare I… it’s more a question for my immediately family? What level of relationship do I need to ask this question? 😂

The anecdotes are verifiable. I can, of course, research and vet anything suggested. I’m just looking for ideas.

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UniForceMusic@reddit

I wouldn't be surprised if an AI wrote this post, and is currently responding in the comments.

My favorite moment with GenAI was when i asked it to write a PHP function to dump the HTML of the currently viewing page via Chrome debugging tools. Ir kept suggesting invalid commands, then when i asked if the command was invalid it said "Yes, that's right. That's not a valid command! Try this other one". None ended up being valid.

Otherwise it writes some kick ass quick regex patterns!

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Ya - I mean. GenAI makes mistakes. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It does certain things really well.

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ben@reddit

“I used to be able to code without an internet connection, but not anymore! Thanks Copilot.”

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Haha - fair point

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Antares987@reddit

https://blog.codinghorror.com/new-programming-jargon/amp/

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

I did not understand at first, but I read further. Thank you so much! What a great list! Perfect.

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Are you saying all posts on StackOverflow should be questions with a definitive answer? I disagree.

Reddit - unlike SO - is very much a place where you can “take a survey” of a subreddit. A post could easily get 386 comments, and it’s just a popular post. It’s not an issue.

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SolarNachoes@reddit

https://xkcd.com

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Fair enough haha.

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Stargazer5781@reddit

"We used to have the worst fights and I assumed it was a 400, but eventually I realized it was a 500."

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ZnV1@reddit

I mean...I used the thing to destroy the thing

Here's chatgpt

Got it—let’s go full sarcasm mode. Here are some Copilot anecdotes with maximum snark:

The Stack Overflow Copy-Paste Olympics

"Wow—I used to have to manually copy code from Stack Overflow, squint at the answer with 500 upvotes, and pray it wasn’t written by a sleep-deprived intern. But not anymore! Thanks, Copilot!"

The ‘What Does This Code Do?’ Game

"I used to spend hours reverse-engineering my own code from last week like a forensic scientist investigating an ancient crime scene. But now? Copilot generates unreadable code in real time. Thanks, Copilot!"

The Debugging Horror Show

"I used to add 20 print statements, stare at them for an hour, and then realize I misspelled ‘print’ as ‘pritn.’ Now, Copilot just writes bugs for me, so I can skip straight to the suffering. Thanks, Copilot!"

The ‘Great Naming Crisis’ of Every Single Day

"I used to name variables ‘data’ and ‘thing’ because words are hard. Now, Copilot gives me names like ‘process_transaction_handler_v2_final_final’—so much better! Thanks, Copilot!"

The ‘Let’s Hope This Compiles’ Experience

"I used to spend 30 minutes fixing one missing semicolon. Now, Copilot confidently autocompletes my code with errors, so I get to spend even more time debugging. Thanks, Copilot!"

The Git Commit Message Disaster

"I used to write commit messages like ‘fix stuff’ or ‘pls work.’ Now, Copilot suggests ‘Refactored handler logic for better maintainability,’ which is a complete lie. Thanks, Copilot!"

Let me know if you want more—sarcasm is an unlimited resource!

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Haha - thank you. I’m using these other tools too, but I find Reddit adds a certain… flair that GenAI sadly cannot reproduce… yet 🤔

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sneaky-snacks@reddit (OP)

Ok - this one made me lol. Thank you haha.

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ComparisonEvening700@reddit

I used to put my API keys in env variables, but now theyre all hardcoded for me, thanks copilot!

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teratron27@reddit

think?