It looks like we're entering the sunset years of traditional software engineering 🤔

GitHub Copilot: Using Your Workspace as Context

Recently I received an email saying that GitHub's AI code assistant Copilot is now free. I've tried a few different AI assistant extensions in VS Code - the last one was Tabnine AI, which is actually pretty good at creating docstrings and live code completion. Since it's always interesting to try something new, I decided to give Copilot a shot.

This extension has two main features - a chat in the side panel and live code completion suggestions, which are standard for these kinds of assistants. It uses two models: GPT-4 by default and Claude 3.5 Sonnet, which is pretty impressive for a free assistant.

My favorite Copilot's feature - using your workspace as context for the model. Here's a PyQt utility project I'm working on that handles autofocusing for custom cameras. It runs multiple threads to manage UI interactions, camera motor movements, and image capture. The autofocus process involves several modules with complex data flow between them. If you need to refresh your understanding of the whole system, you can open the Copilot chat and ask questions about your entire workspace. What you get is a high-level description with clickable links to navigate through your project - it's really cool and super convenient. I haven't seen such a helpful feature in other assistants.

Let's try something else. When you ask for code improving, Copilot provides the updated code of a specific function in a particular module. Since you're in the project context, you can use the "Apply in Editor" option - Copilot automatically inserts the changes right into code. You can review these changes and decide whether to keep them or not.

So that's my quick look at Copilot. While it has the usual AI features, some extras make it stand out. Since it's free now, it's worth playing around with it and seeing how it fits your workflow. Thanks for listening! Let's go design!

What is the brave new world we are stepping into now? Everyone has heard about countless people losing their jobs because of AI: programmers, graphic designers, copywriters and so many others. Another technical revolution is definitely unfolding before our eyes. Like previous ones, it brings possibilities we couldn't imagine before - almost everyone now can have access to an AI assistant that knows literally "everything" and eagerly answers any of your questions. It's an incredible time for creative, curious and open-minded people. And as always there is a dark side: the internet gave instructions how to print weapons, AI now can suggest how to make them more dangerous and invisible to scanners... Technology is only a tool, but today it's more powerful than ever before.

DIY Fusion: How to Build a Nuclear Reactor in Your Kitchen (with AI)

A guy managed to assemble a neutron fusion reactor in his kitchen, using AI as his consultant. 🔬

Technical Specs:
• 30kV/10mA Electrostatic Precipitator
• Vacuum at 3 mTorr (253,333 times deeper than atmospheric pressure!)
• Bubble Detector for neutron counting
• Homemade Deuterium extracted from heavy water via electrolysis

The most impressive part? The entire deuterium production process cost just $112:
• $32 for a hydrocar PEM
• $80 for 50g of D₂O (heavy water)

From this, he managed to produce 56 liters of D₂ gas! 🧪

How AI Helped:

The author heavily relied on Claude for:
• Process debugging
• Safety checks
• Following complex instructions

While this isn’t a commercial reactor, as a demonstration of AI-assisted DIY, it’s absolutely mind-blowing. 🔥

The Journey:

The build was live-streamed over 36 hours straight. Remarkably, just months earlier, the same individual assembled a plasma reactor. What’s even more fascinating? He didn’t have deep expertise in nuclear physics—he simply asked Claude the right questions. Independent study would have required thousands (if not tens of thousands) of hours.

The Bigger Picture:

As exciting as this is, it’s also a bit terrifying. If a hobbyist can pull this off in fusion, imagine the possibilities with biology. We might someday look back at bats with nostalgia. 🦇

AI-powered DIY is here, and it’s opening doors to both innovation and ethical challenges.

ROS again...

My projects currently have a monolithic structure where different parts are tightly coupled. Development in this situation requires careful work within the app's context, considering all dependencies. As we've seen, AI struggles with context handling. So we need a different approach - app components need more isolation, something like a microservice architecture.

While discussing my Focusing utility with Claude 3.5 Sonnet, it started suggesting a new structure: core and support services, dataflow with various message types (commands, answers, data packets), event-based communication... As the conversation progressed, I suddenly realized something familiar in all this - of course, The Robot Operating System (ROS)!

I actually worked with this powerful system a couple years ago on my pet robot project. And you know what? It seems to have everything we need:
1. Built-in Features:
├── Message passing system
├── Topic pub/sub
├── Service calls
├── Action servers
├── Parameter system
└── Launch system

2. Tools Available:
├── rqt (GUI development)
├── rviz (visualization)
├── rosbag (data recording/playback)
├── ros2 doctor (diagnostics)
└── built-in logging

Perfect! So, ROS again. Let's dive into design!

The cause is DeepSeek, a Chinese AI model that costs drastically less to train compared to competitors:
• OpenAI: $6 billion
• Meta’s Llama: $60 million
• DeepSeek: $5.6 million

ROS2 - Understanding services

ROS is built around nodes - independent programs that each handle a specific task in your system (data network). For example, one node might control motors, while another processes camera data.

These nodes need to communicate with each other, and ROS provides several communication methods. One key method is services, which enable request-response communication between nodes. Think of services like function calls between nodes - one node (the client) requests something, and another node (the server) processes that request and sends back a response.

For example, a camera node might provide a "capture_image" service that other nodes can call when they need a new image. This is different from continuous data streaming (which uses topics) because services are specifically for on-demand, request-response interactions.

Key Benefits of ROS2 Services:
├── Request-Response Pattern
├── Services provide a synchronous request-response communication model
├── The client sends a request and waits for a response from the server
├── This is ideal for on-demand, one-to-one interactions between nodes
├── Guaranteed Delivery
├── Unlike topics which use publish/subscribe, services ensure the request reaches the server and gets a response
├── The client knows whether the service call succeeded or failed
├── Good for critical operations that need confirmation
├── Resource Efficiency
├── Services don't continuously stream data like topics
├── They only transmit when explicitly called
└── More efficient for occasional/periodic interactions

Perfect for Specific Use Cases:
├── One-time configurations
├── Computing results on demand
├── Robot control commands that need acknowledgment
└── System queries that expect a response

Better Error Handling
├── Services provide explicit success/failure feedback
├── The client can implement proper error handling
└── Helps build more robust systems

Synchronous Nature
├── Blocking calls ensure operations complete in sequence
├── Critical for tasks that must happen in order
└── Provides clear control flow in the application

The key is choosing between services and topics based on specific needs:
- Use services for request-response patterns
- Use topics for continuous data streams

Services are optimal when you need:
❕Guaranteed delivery
❕Operation confirmation
❕Explicit error handling
❕Sequential execution
❕One-time or periodic interactions

#ROS #knowledge

ROS2: Modular & Resilient Node Parameters

In ROS2, each node controls its own settings, creating a system that’s both modular and remarkably resilient. What’s more, ROS2 comes with a rich array of built-in methods for managing parameters, making your nodes even more flexible and robust:

• Decentralized Control:
Each node declares and manages its own parameters, creating a plug-and-play architecture that minimizes risk and enhances robustness.

• Dynamic Adjustments:
Built-in APIs let you update parameters on the fly—no need for restarts. Change callbacks ensure that live updates are smoothly integrated into your node performance.

• Extensive Built-In Methods:
ROS2 provides a variety of tools, from dynamic parameter handling to advanced introspection methods. This extensive toolkit offers everything needed—from automatic type checks to seamless integration of new configurations—making error handling and system adaptation straightforward.

• Intuitive Organization:
Use namespaced parameters, coupled with thorough inline documentation, to keep configurations neat and scalable. This clarity not only aids team collaboration but also simplifies long-term maintenance.

• Streamlined Configuration Management:
Centralized YAML or launch files allow you to manage settings consistently across development, testing, and production environments without fuss.

• Real-Time Monitoring:
Built-in introspection tools and logging capabilities keep you informed of parameter changes as they happen, ensuring that your system remains agile and well-monitored.

This node-centric approach, enhanced by an impressive suite of built-in methods, emphasizes modularity and resilience—empowering you to build dynamic, high-performance ROS2 applications with ease and confidence.

#ROS #knowledge

Working with Parameters in ROS2: A Quick Example

1️⃣ Defining Parameters:
Using ParameterDescriptor, we define parameters like focal_length with details such as:
- Type: PARAMETER_DOUBLE
- Description: "Focal length in mm"
- Range: 1.0 to 100.0, step 0.1

2️⃣ Access & Modify Parameters:
- Use the CLI with commands like ros2 param get/set.
- Alternatively, use a GUI to adjust values in real time for better flexibility and usability.

3️⃣ Error Handling:
ROS2 comes with built-in methods to validate parameters based on their descriptors. For example, if you try setting focal_length to 40.44 (which doesn't match the step size of 0.1), you get a precise error:

"Setting parameter failed: The value is not close enough to a valid step."

❗️This means ROS2 ensures parameters strictly follow the defined constraints—like ranges, step increments, and types—without requiring custom validation logic in your code.

#ROS #knowledge #example

🤔 Why I'm not surprised:

Our analysis shows that the total server CapEx for DeepSeek is ~$1.6B, with a considerable cost of $944M associated with operating such clusters.

https://semianalysis.com/2025/01/31/deepseek-debates/

Salesforce: We don't need any more software engineers this year...

📢 Use Mistral's Latest Coding Model for Free in Your Work!

Recently, Mistral announced their newest code-specific LLM - Codestral 25.01. The best part? You can get an API key absolutely free and start using it right away in popular tools like VS Code through Continue - one of the most popular AI coding assistants!

Get instant code suggestions, explanations, and completions right in your editor. 🚀

#FreeTool

🤖 Playing with Codestral Model API via Postman 🛠

Now that we have access to the Codestral Model API, let's explore it using REST API requests to see how it responds to different parameters! For this purpose, I recommend using Postman - a free tool that provides convenient features for working with APIs 🔧

🚀 Getting Started:
- Create a workspace in Postman
- Create a collection inside it to store your requests

🔌 Available Endpoints:
- Fill-in-the-middle: https://codestral.mistral.ai/v1/fim/completions
- Chat: https://codestral.mistral.ai/v1/chat/completions

💻 Let's experiment with the chat endpoint using a POST request. We'll modify the parameters from the API docs to focus on a coding task: generating a function to calculate Fibonacci numbers.

🔑 Authorization: For authorization, you'll need a Codestral API key (see my previous post for instructions on obtaining one). Pro tip: store such sensitive data in variables!

⚙️ Testing: After sending the modified request, you can observe the model's response. All model parameters are customizable to fine-tune the output.

API documentation

#CodestralAPI #Tutorial