Developers Have Bad Habits, and Python 2 Will Not Be Left Behind - This Week’s 5 News 6. October 2023.

Big week in programming! 💻 ChatGPT goes multimedia with voice and images. Docker launches GenAI stack to democratize AI. Developers cut corners for speed says survey. Python 2 is still being used. And ViteConf highlights Vite powering fast web apps.

ChatGPT Can Now See & Hear

ChatGPT recently unveiled new voice and image features. Over the past few weeks, OpenAI has slowly expanded its capabilities to different user groups.

Users can now have natural conversations with ChatGPT using voice. The AI assistant can also look at images and answer questions.

These updates enable more intuitive interactions. For example, snap a photo of your fridge and get recipe ideas. Take a picture of a graph at work and ask about the data.

OpenAI is cautiously deploying the features to test for risks. They want to make ChatGPT useful while preventing misuse like impersonation.

The company is gradually enabling voice and images for more users over time. This allows them to refine safety measures as they expand access.

Docker Launches GenAI Stack for AI Development

Docker recently announced the launch of the GenAI Stack, an integrated platform for building generative AI applications.

Created in collaboration with partners like Neo4j, LangChain, and Ollama, GenAI Stack aims to make it easy for developers to get started with AI.

It provides pre-configured components like large language models, vector databases, and frameworks. This eliminates the complexities of integrating diverse AI technologies.

Developers can use GenAI Stack to quickly build apps enhanced by AI capabilities. Use cases include writing assistance, content generation, and more.

The stack utilizes trusted open-source content from Docker Hub. It also includes private models like GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 from Ollama.

Industry experts have praised GenAI Stack as a way to make AI development more accessible. The unified platform promises to help mainstream developers adopt AI for building new applications

Survey: Many Developers Take Shortcuts, Skirt Security

A survey by Sauce Labs reveals that a majority of developers admit to concerning practices like pushing untested code and circumventing security protocols.

The survey of 500 US developers found that 67% pushed code to production without testing. 60% use untested AI-generated code from ChatGPT.

70% share credentials to access restricted data and systems. 75% bypass security measures like MFA to complete tasks faster.

Experts say bad developer behavior often stems from unrealistic demands, inadequate tools and processes.

The survey highlights how developers will optimize for speed without guardrails. Organizations that empower developers to meet goals securely can prevent risky behavior.

Python 3 Dominates, But Python 2 Usage Creeps Up

The latest Python developer survey reveals Python 3 remains the dominant version, but Python 2 usage ticked up slightly.

93% of over 23,000 developers surveyed report using Python 3. However, that's down from 95% last year.

Python 2 is more popular for niche use cases like computer graphics, game dev, and multimedia apps. Python 3 leads for mainstream work like data analysis, web dev, and machine learning.

86% of Python developers use other languages too. JavaScript and HTML/CSS remain the top secondary languages.

For web frameworks, Flask and Django are tied at 39% adoption. FastAPI gained ground at 25% share.

More than half of developers use Python for both work and personal projects. Only 21% use it exclusively for work.

The minor increase in Python 2 comes right before the release of Python 3.12 with new features like more flexible f-strings.

While Python 3 undisputedly rules, the survey shows Python 2 persists thanks to strengths in less common use cases. Companies still relying on Python 2 may want to start planning an upgrade.

ViteConf 2023

The future of frontend web development was on display at ViteConf 2023 on October 5-6. Organized by StackBlitz, the virtual conference featured talks from creators of popular JavaScript frameworks like Vue, React, and Angular.

ViteConf highlighted how Vite, an increasingly popular build tool, is powering the next generation of fast web experiences. Talks covered integrating Vite into frameworks like Nuxt and Angular, improving workflows for testing and documentation, and new capabilities for mobile and desktop apps.

Other sessions explored integrating design tools like Figma and advances in full-stack frameworks like RedwoodJS. Attendees could interact with speakers in real time and try code examples.

With over 60,000 stars on GitHub and 7 million npm downloads per week, Vite has quickly become a core part of the JavaScript ecosystem. ViteConf provided both high-level vision and practical techniques for leveraging Vite to build compelling front-end experiences.