"It's Literally Black Magic" - A First Dance with GitHub Copilot
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In a recent episode of Windows Weekly, veteran tech journalist Paul Thurrott shared his first experience with GitHub Copilot's free tier, and his reaction was nothing short of extraordinary. The typically skeptical Thurrott found himself extremely giddy with excitement, comparing his reaction to cats watching magic tricks on YouTube – complete bewilderment at something that seemed to defy reality.
The Magic Moment
Thurrott, who recently started exploring coding, described his initial interaction with GitHub Copilot as something approaching magic. After typing just two characters, Copilot didn't just complete a single line – it generated an entire code block that perfectly matched what he had in mind. "It literally read my mind," Thurrott exclaimed, still in disbelief during the podcast discussion.
Host Leo Laporte offered some grounding perspective on why GitHub Copilot performs so impressively. He pointed out that code is inherently repetitive, and Copilot has access to a massive database of existing code. "You're not the first person to do that," Laporte noted, explaining that common programming tasks have been solved countless times before.
Richard Campbell brought an industry perspective to the discussion, noting that some development teams now view Copilot proficiency as essential. "I'm talking to teams now, where if the developer's not using Copilot... it's like 'Are you writing code on a parchment?'" Campbell remarked. The tool has become so fundamental to some groups that not using it might be seen as archaic.
The Free Tier Advantage
One of the most significant revelations was about GitHub Copilot's free tier, introduced in December of 2024. Users can access a certain number of code completions (2,000) and chat requests (50) monthly, with the option to upgrade if they need more. For Thurrott, this no-risk opportunity to try the service led to an unexpected revelation about AI's practical applications in development.
The discussion revealed that Copilot goes beyond simple code completion. It can analyze existing code for efficiency improvements, suggest better architectural approaches, and even anticipate complex coding patterns. Thurrott described how it suggested subtle improvements to his C# code that would work better with WPF controls – foresight he found remarkable.
Want to Hear More?
This fascinating discussion about GitHub Copilot is just one segment of a longer Windows Weekly episode. To hear the complete conversation, including more insights about PC chips, .NET, Xbox, and other tech topics, check out the full episode of Windows Weekly.
