The AI-powered code editor is designed to boost productivity, streamline coding and provide assistance throughout development tasks. (Image credit: Cursor)
This isn't an ad, I'm interested in knowing if AI can really write useful code. Has anyone used anything like this here at element14?
This is an overview. I plan to do some hands on testing in the near future. That said...
The AI boom has given rise to both smart hardware and software designed to make projects and coding easier for developers, and while AI applications have been introduced as tools engineers can capitalize on for rudimentary or repetitive tasks, they’re limited in features. Cursor aims to change that notion, as the AI-powered code editor looks to change the way developers create apps by integrating AI directly into the coding environment.
Cursor is designed to boost productivity, streamline coding tasks for increased efficiency and provide assistance throughout the development process. The platform is part development environment and part AI chatbot, similar to Chat-GPT. In fact, it makes use of GPT-4o, the same algorithm that drives the online tool. That said, Cursor comes equipped with several tools to help bring AI-powered apps to life:
- Chat and Command Features- Cursor features intuitive chat and command capabilities that allow users to manage files, folders and code, helping to streamline workflow.
- Codebase Querying- Cursor can understand and answer questions based on the code base being developed. This allows users to quickly navigate and comprehend complex projects, even when working with large amounts of data.
- Documentation Vectorization- Cursor allows users to embed relevant documentation within the codebase, ensuring important information is readily available and mitigating the need to search through files and resources for specific information.
- Web Search- Cursor features a built-in web search function that lets users search the web without leaving the coding environment, saving time and boosting productivity.
As mentioned earlier, Cursor takes advantage of a wide range of AI models, including GPT-4o, GPT-Turbo, and Claude-3.5 Sonnet (Pro), which serve as the foundation for code generation and management. It provides a number of useful functions as well, including AI code completion, which writes entire functions for users with minimal input. It also features error correction, which identifies and fixes bugs; natural language commands that allow users to tell it what they want in simple English; and refactoring assistance to clean up code.
Cursor comes in three flavors - a free version that provides a two-week trial of the Pro version, along with 2000 code completions and 50 slow premium requests; a Pro ($20 per month) version with unlimited completions, 500 fast premium requests and unlimited slow premiums, and a Business ($40 per month) model that includes everything with several perks.
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