I’ve used both Claude and ChatGPT as tools to shortcut StackOverflow searches, and to validate ideas and approaches.
More recently, I’ve used Copilot inside RubyMine IDE for useful autocomplete (often but not always guesses correctly for several lines or statements ahead).
These tools have been a game changer for my software development, in the same way moving from paper manuals and no network to always-on internet was.
This evening, I installed and ran Claude Code (hello Anthropic subscription, again!). Wow. It worked through the upgrade, patching and wrapping of an old rails 3.2 app (running only on ruby 1.9.3) and it’s dependencies, right up to loading and serving pages (errors actually) on a modern install of macOS.
There is still more work to be done on the app, but Claude Code took the initiative, asked for permissions to install dependencies and run specific tools (sed anyone?) and apply code changes. All I had to do was answer with keys 1, 2 or 3 to allow, always allow or suggest something else.
The only downside was when Claude Code started patching installed gems directly. A polite suggestion to vendor or wrap the gems by answering 3 solved this brittle approach.
Amazing, this really is the 10x we’ve been looking for; even if it’s only for easily verifiable steps forward.
