[TriLUG] Linux From Scratch

[John Vaughters via TriLUG]

>For creative endeavours, like generating music, images, etc., AI can be a
useful tool.


You left out coding. While not perfect, I can confidently say that if you are coding and not using AI. You will be at a disadvantage. The saving are easily in the 50% range. But there are some caveats. 100% you better know what you are doing. It can do wonky things for sure and I am constantly correcting it. Also, it has to be used with well used languages and libraries. One particular time it sent me into a doom loop of me asking questions for a solution and something just did not seem right. The solutions were awkward at best. Finally I looked up the reference to the library code and found a function parameter that did exactly what I was ask it to do. So it did waste a bunch of time. Part of that was still my fault for not recognizing the doom loop. I should have stopped earlier. So I course corrected in my interactions. The next caveat is that you will not get optimized code. It will work, but do not expect optimized code. I tested this. I had it build me some tools I had already spent many years perfecting. I just wanted a comparison. So AI did what I asked and it worked, but it did it in a stupid way. I only knew it was stupid, because I was so familiar with the methods. My conclusion was that I use stupid code that works in other areas I am not familiar, LOL!  This leads into next caveat is we are talking general coding here and if you are doing highly specific and highly skilled proprietary coding, I wouldn't even bother with AI. It will probably not help you at all. On top of that never ever put specific data in for processing, always keep it anonymous. Another reason to not use it if you are using proprietary coding. But for quick tools and data manipulations, it can be very useful. It can definitely point you into the right directions. It can definitely help you learn new languages quickly. I am about solutions and it helps me get to solutions fast and get them to management fast sometimes. I find it indispensable. 

I agree that AI does not know anything, that's why I call it Artificial Stupidity (AS). It is quite impossible for AI to "know" anything at all. It cannot determine what a good or bad result is. It can only measure against parameters and find solutions within those parameters. And due to that problem it tries many many things until it comes up with solutions. And it can optimize and now they say reason. But it is not true reasoning. It is trying and measuring against parameters that you set. For instance, without any inputs, it could never ever determine what the definition of a line is. It can only read what we have defined as a line and report that to you. So there is no true reasoning. This is the crux of AI and why it is AS. 

I have used it a little bit for images. But for me, I get no utility other than a laugh out of that, so I generally use it sparingly. I suppose for Marketing it cold be great. One specific area I find it to be super weak at is in system administration. If you ask for things regarding system administration is mixes up different version of OS and conflates them pretty badly. I think that is because there are version galore out there is things change so much it will send you on a bad path if you take it literally. Don't do that. Google search in directions and often you find that what you need has changed or AI just flat out confused things. So this support the part about AI making things up. It certainly seems to do that at times. I have seen that in some coding as well, but it is particularly bad on system admin questions. 

So based on all that and the original topic, I wouldn't one bit surprised if it sucked for learning LFS. I wouldn't trust it to get it right at all and would ONLY use the LFS manuals. 

Anyway, that is my experiences with AI. Good, Bad and Ugly without the Eastwood!!!

~John Vaughters