Hackers' Pub

Syntax	Description	Examples
`"` keyword `"`	Finds the string within quotes, including spaces. Case-insensitive. (Escape quotes inside with `\"`)	`"Hackers' Pub"`
`from:` handle	Finds content written by the specified user.	`from:hongminhee` `from:hongminhee@hollo.social`
`lang:` ISO 639-1	Finds content written in the specified language.	`lang:en`
`#` tag	Finds content with the specified tag. Case-insensitive.	`#HackersPub`
condition condition	Finds content that satisfies both conditions on either side of the space (logical AND).	`"Hackers' Pub" lang:en`
condition `OR` condition	Finds content that satisfies at least one of the conditions on either side of the OR operator (logical OR).	`#HackersPub OR "Hackers' Pub" lang:en`
`(` condition `)`	Combines the operators within the parentheses first.	`(#HackersPub OR "Hackers' Pub" OR "Hackers Pub") lang:en`

Simon Willison @simon@fedi.simonwillison.net

3/11/2025, 2:10:56 PM

Public

Here's the table of contents for my lengthy new piece on how I use LLMs to help me write code https://simonwillison.net/2025/Mar/11/using-llms-for-code/

If someone tells you that coding with LLMs is easy they are (probably unintentionally) misleading you. They may well have stumbled on to patterns that work, but those patterns do not come naturally to everyone.

I’ve been getting great results out of LLMs for code for over two years now. Here’s my attempt at transferring some of that experience and intution to you.

Set reasonable expectations
Account for training cut-off dates
Context is king
Ask them for options
Tell them exactly what to do
You have to test what it writes!
Remember it’s a conversation
Use tools that can run the code for you
Vibe-coding is a great way to learn
A detailed example
Be ready for the human to take over
The biggest advantage is speed of development
LLMs amplify existing expertise
Bonus: answering questions about codebases

If you have a fediverse account, you can quote this note from your own instance. Search https://fedi.simonwillison.net/users/simon/statuses/114144199069709917 on your instance and quote it. (Note that quoting is not supported in Mastodon.)