{"id":873,"date":"2025-01-01T17:00:53","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T17:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alexanderramsey.com\/blog\/?p=873"},"modified":"2025-08-05T04:42:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T04:42:30","slug":"ai-is-transforming-and-enabling-not-just-developers-but-everyone-to-have-programming-superpowers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alexanderramsey.com\/blog\/?p=873","title":{"rendered":"AI is Transforming Programming: Enabling Everyone to Have ‘Superpowers’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

GitHub Copilot, VS Code, and WSL2 can provide any Windows user with the ability to be a developer, Novice and Pro<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Pictured: VS Code Insiders, GitHub Copilot, and WSL2 Ubuntu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Building a web app can feel daunting, especially when you’re not a professional software engineer. But today, thanks to advancements in AI and modern tools, even someone like me\u2014an OK sysadmin or mechanic or handyperson on my best days!\u2014can take on ambitious projects with confidence…<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Take this example project: a web app for a neighbor who runs a simple pet care business. At first, the idea seemed simple\u2014a functional application tailored to their businesses’ simple needs. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this concept could apply to many other industry verticals and be the start <\/em>of something <\/em>to meet an even broader market into the future!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The app would allow users to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Schedule and store records for dog owners and their pets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Provide real-time service booking via a front-end calendar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Send pet owners SMS updates during their pets’ stay.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • (Eventually) accept payments directly through the app.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    I decided to start building it with a PHP backend, a Vue.js frontend, and a MySQL database, all running in a Dockerized environment. Ten years ago, this would have felt overwhelming. Today, however, tools like GitHub Copilot, VS Code Insiders, and WSL2 make it not just possible but achievable given a bit of tech know how and bit of persistence to learn and execute building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s where the magic happens: AI-powered tools like GitHub Copilot provide what I jokingly call “programming superpowers.” They won\u2019t make you a coding wizard overnight, but they can bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For instance, Copilot can explain code snippets, suggest syntax, or even help scaffold out an entire feature. It\u2019s like having a mentor on demand, drastically reducing the time it takes to figure things out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Is it perfect? No. Sometimes it stumbles or provides suboptimal recommendations. But the progress AI has made in the past year alone is staggering, and it\u2019s only getting better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There are fewer excuses now for not diving into programming projects. With the combination of modern tools and AI assistance, the barriers to entry have never been lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sure, you still need foundational knowledge\u2014how to configure environments, wire systems together, and debug when things go sideways. But AI tools don\u2019t replace expertise; they amplify it. They let you stretch your capabilities and take on challenges that might have felt totally out of reach 10 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • VS Code is my preferred editor but then I’ve also heard great things about Cursor too lately<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Windows subsystem for Linux. Ubuntu is good, other distros are now available and the linkup to Docker is so seamless now <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • GitHub Copilot ( Now free for any user account! ) can help you inside an editor like VS Code to guide your programming adventure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      These three tools combine to create a development environment in a snap that you can use to perform AI-driven development in. For pros, it offers a way to accelerate their development. For novices, it can educate you and help you along your learning journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      GitHub Copilot, VS Code, and WSL2 can provide any Windows user with the ability to be a developer, Novice and Pro Building a web app can feel daunting, especially when you’re not a professional software engineer. But today, thanks to advancements in AI and modern tools, even someone like me\u2014an OK sysadmin or mechanic or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,12,42,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai","category-development","category-it","category-random-projects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/alexanderramsey.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/alexanderramsey.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/alexanderramsey.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alexanderramsey.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alexanderramsey.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=873"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"http:\/\/alexanderramsey.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":967,"href":"http:\/\/alexanderramsey.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873\/revisions\/967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/alexanderramsey.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alexanderramsey.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alexanderramsey.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}