Re:Meta's new LLM-based test generator is a sneak peek to th...
by torginus on Saturday February 24, 2024 @05:13AM
(#39490498)
Imo there are 2 kinds of programming:
- Software engineering, which is akin to real engineering, as it involves desigining a complex mechanism that fits a lot of real world constraints. Usually you need to develop a sophisticated mental model and exploit it for the desired results. Involved implementations and algorithms usually fall into this category.
- Talking to computers, which is about describing what you need to the computer. Usually focuses on the 'what' as the 'how' is trivial. Examples include HTML/CSS, Terraform and very simple programs (like porting a business process flow from a flowchart to code). And, indeed test code.
LLMs are terrible at the former, but great at the latter.
- Software engineering, which is akin to real engineering, as it involves desigining a complex mechanism that fits a lot of real world constraints. Usually you need to develop a sophisticated mental model and exploit it for the desired results. Involved implementations and algorithms usually fall into this category. - Talking to computers, which is about describing what you need to the computer. Usually focuses on the 'what' as the 'how' is trivial. Examples include HTML/CSS, Terraform and very simple programs (like porting a business process flow from a flowchart to code). And, indeed test code.
LLMs are terrible at the former, but great at the latter.