Gemini Code Assist: Github Copilot KILLER! The FREE AND BEST Alternative to Github Copilot.

Gemini Code Assist, a new AI coding assistant from Google, is being hailed as a strong contender to GitHub Copilot. It offers a free tier until July 11th, after which it will adopt a pricing model similar to GitHub Copilot. Gemini Code Assist provides real-time code completion and can generate entire code blocks or functions on demand. It supports over 20 programming languages and integrates smoothly with popular IDEs like VS Code and JetBrains. One of its standout features is its large context window of one million tokens, which is significantly larger than GitHub Copilot's 128k context window. Additionally, it includes a natural language chat for coding queries and best practices guidance, and the ability to perform large-scale code base changes from a single prompt. The extension's user interface is intuitive, allowing users to request specific changes and utilize auto-completion features. With its robust capabilities, Gemini Code Assist is expected to improve and challenge GitHub Copilot's dominance in the coding assistant market.

Takeaways

• 🚀 **GitHub Copilot's Impact**: When GitHub Copilot was unveiled, it caused concern among developers about job security, but it didn't live up to the initial fears.
• 🔍 **Contextual Limitations**: GitHub Copilot had limitations such as lower context windows and issues with copying copyrighted code, which were improved with the upgrade to GP4.
• 🤝 **Integration Advantage**: GitHub Copilot's smooth integration with IDEs like VS Code was facilitated by Microsoft's ownership of GitHub and the VS Code editor.
• 🧩 **Competition Struggles**: Other IDEs tried to create their own AI assistance but couldn't compete due to GitHub's extensive code repositories for model training.
• 💡 **Google's Entry**: Google's language model, Gemini 1.5 Pro, with a 1 million context window, posed a significant challenge to GitHub Copilot's 128k context window.
• 🎉 **Gemini Code Assist Launch**: Google announced Gemini Code Assist, a direct competitor to GitHub Copilot, offering similar code completion and generation features.
• 🆓 **Free Tier**: Gemini Code Assist is free for one user per project until July 11th, after which it will switch to a pricing model similar to GitHub Copilot.
• 🌐 **IDE Support**: Gemini Code Assist is available in many popular IDEs, including VS Code and JetBrains, and supports over 20 programming languages.
• 💬 **Natural Language Chat**: Gemini Code Assist features a natural language chat for coding questions and best practice guidance, available in all supported IDEs.
• 🔧 **Large-Scale Code Management**: It allows for large-scale changes to the entire code base from a single prompt, including feature additions and comprehensive code reviews.
• 🔥 **Competitive Edge**: Gemini Code Assist is seen as a strong contender against GitHub Copilot, with expectations of continuous improvement.
• 📚 **Installation and Setup**: Interested users can follow steps on Google's website to install Gemini Code Assist and start utilizing its features.

Q & A

What was the initial reaction to GitHub Copilot when it was unveiled?

When GitHub Copilot was unveiled, there was a fear that it might take people's jobs and some even considered leaving their computer science field for other professions like plumbing.

What were some of the limitations of the original GitHub Copilot?

The original GitHub Copilot had limitations such as lower context windows, copying copyrighted code, and other issues that made it less than ideal for some users.

How did GitHub Copilot improve with the introduction of GP4?

GitHub Copilot improved significantly with the introduction of GP4, which addressed many of the initial problems and provided a much better user experience.

What is the relationship between GitHub, Microsoft, and Visual Studio Code?

GitHub and Visual Studio Code are both owned by Microsoft, which allowed for a smooth integration of GitHub Copilot with the popular IDE, Visual Studio Code.

What is Google's language model that poses a challenge to GitHub Copilot?

Google's language model Gemini 1.5 Pro, which supports a 1 million context window, poses a significant challenge to GitHub Copilot, which uses a smaller 128k context window.

What is Gemini Code Assist and how does it compare to GitHub Copilot?

Gemini Code Assist is Google's AI assistance tool for coding, which is similar to GitHub Copilot. It offers code completion, generates code blocks or functions on demand, and provides chat support for coding questions. It is powered by Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro model.

What are the key features of Gemini Code Assist?

Gemini Code Assist offers features like code completion, natural language chat for coding questions, guidance on best practices, and the ability to perform large-scale changes to the entire code base from a single prompt.

How does Gemini Code Assist support programming languages?

Gemini Code Assist currently supports over 20 programming languages, including Java, JavaScript, Python, C, C++, Go, PHP, and SQL.

What is the pricing model for Gemini Code Assist after the free period ends?

After the free period, which lasts until the 11th of July, Gemini Code Assist will switch to a pricing model that is almost similar to GitHub Copilot.

What does the user interface of Gemini Code Assist look like?

The user interface of Gemini Code Assist features a chat window on the left for interacting with the AI and a code window on the right for writing and editing code.

How can users get started with Gemini Code Assist?

Users can get started with Gemini Code Assist by following the steps provided on the official website to install and set up the extension.

What is the potential impact of Gemini Code Assist on the coding assistant market?

Gemini Code Assist is seen as a strong contender to GitHub Copilot and has the potential to significantly impact the coding assistant market, offering users an alternative with advanced features and capabilities.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Introduction to AI Code and GitHub Co-Pilot's Evolution

The paragraph introduces the topic by discussing the initial reactions to GitHub Co-Pilot and its impact on the perception of computer science jobs. It then describes the improvements made to Co-Pilot with the introduction of GP4, which addressed some of the initial concerns. The paragraph also highlights the smooth integration of Co-Pilot with IDEs due to Microsoft's involvement with both OpenAI and GitHub. It concludes by mentioning the competition that arose from other AI assistants but notes GitHub's advantage due to its extensive code repositories for training.

Keywords

💡GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered code generation tool developed by GitHub and OpenAI. It assists developers by writing code for them, suggesting code snippets, and completing code as they write. In the video, it is discussed as a pioneering product in the field of AI code assistance but is facing competition from Google's Gemini Code Assist.

💡Gemini 1.5 Pro

Gemini 1.5 Pro is a language model developed by Google that supports a large context window of 1 million tokens. It is significant because it allows for more comprehensive understanding and generation of code, which is a major improvement over GitHub Copilot's gp4 model that only supports a 128k context window. In the video, Gemini 1.5 Pro is highlighted as the underlying technology that powers Gemini Code Assist.

💡IDEs (Integrated Development Environments)

IDEs are software applications that provide a comprehensive environment for developers to write, test, and debug code. They are essential tools for programmers. In the context of the video, the smooth integration of GitHub Copilot and Gemini Code Assist with popular IDEs like VS Code and JetBrains is mentioned as a key feature that enhances the user experience.

💡Microsoft

Microsoft is a multinational technology company that owns GitHub and is a major investor in OpenAI. The video discusses how Microsoft's ownership of GitHub and its popular IDE, Visual Studio Code, has allowed for seamless integration of GitHub Copilot, giving it an advantage over other AI code assistance tools.

💡Google

Google is a multinational technology company that has developed the Gemini language model and announced Gemini Code Assist, which is presented in the video as a direct competitor to GitHub Copilot. Google's entry into the AI code assistance market is significant as it challenges GitHub Copilot's dominance.

💡Context Window

The context window refers to the amount of code or text that an AI model can process at one time to understand the context and generate appropriate responses. In the video, the larger context window of Gemini 1.5 Pro (1 million tokens) is contrasted with GitHub Copilot's gp4 (128k tokens), emphasizing the former's ability to handle more complex coding tasks.

💡Code Completion

Code completion is a feature that automatically completes code snippets as a developer types, based on the context of the code written so far. It's a time-saving feature that both GitHub Copilot and Gemini Code Assist offer. The video mentions this feature as one of the ways these tools assist developers in their coding process.

💡Natural Language Chat

Natural Language Chat is a feature that allows users to interact with an AI tool using natural language, as opposed to strictly code. Gemini Code Assist includes this feature, enabling users to ask questions or request guidance on coding practices directly through a chat interface within their IDE.

💡Code Reviews

Code reviews are a process where developers examine and provide feedback on code written by their peers. In the video, Gemini Code Assist is said to be capable of performing comprehensive code reviews, including adding new features, updating dependencies, and helping with version upgrades, which is powered by Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro model.

💡Pricing Model

The pricing model refers to how a product or service is monetized. The video discusses that Gemini Code Assist will initially be free for one user per project until July 11th, after which it will adopt a pricing model similar to GitHub Copilot, indicating a shift from a free service to a paid one.

💡Autocompletion

Autocompletion is a feature that suggests or completes code as a developer types, often based on the most likely or previously used code patterns. The video highlights that Gemini Code Assist offers autocompletion, allowing developers to write code more efficiently by reducing manual typing.

Highlights

Gemini Code Assist is a new AI coding assistant that challenges GitHub Copilot.

Initially, GitHub Copilot was perceived as a job threat to computer scientists.

GitHub Copilot's integration with IDEs like VS Code was a major advantage due to Microsoft's ownership.

Google's language model, Gemini 1.5 Pro, offers a 1 million context window compared to Copilot's 128k.

Gemini Code Assist was announced as a direct competitor to GitHub Copilot.

It provides free service for one user per project until July 11th, after which a pricing model similar to GitHub Copilot will be implemented.

Gemini Code Assist completes code as you write and generates whole code blocks or functions on demand.

Supports over 20 programming languages including Java, JavaScript, Python, C, C++, Go, PHP, and SQL.

Includes a natural language chat feature for coding questions and best practice guidance.

Allows for large-scale code base changes from a single prompt, adding features, updating dependencies, and assisting with version upgrades.

Gemini Code Assist's UI features a chat window and code editing area for interactive coding assistance.

Users can request specific changes and utilize auto-completion features.

The tool is seen as a significant contender to GitHub Copilot with room for improvement.

Gemini Code Assist is available for installation through their website.

The assistant is expected to get even better over time, offering stiff competition to GitHub Copilot.

The video provides a walkthrough of Gemini Code Assist's features and capabilities.

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