I found the coding assistant chatbot in the Python for Beginners course to be very useful. Which chatbot was it, is it ‘secure’, is there a better recommended coding companion for Python or R?
If you’re looking for alternative coding companions in Python, you have GitHub Copilot, which integrates with editors like VS Code, or in R, you have RStudio AI assistants. The best choice depends on your preferences, but GitHub Copilot is often recommended for its seamless integration and support for multiple languages, including Python and R.
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@nadtriana have you used CoPilot ? If so, what do you think of it ? Personally, I don’t like to pay for my AI 
Unless it is worth it…
P.s. There is also Code Llama, which I think, for at least some versions… is free because you run it locally. But I have not tried it yet:
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Based on my previous experience with GitHub Copilot, I can confirm that it significantly improves the coding workflow. It offers smart code completions, snippets, and even entire function suggestions based on the context of your code. Copilot can be a valuable investment as it saves time and reduces the mental effort required for repetitive coding tasks.
While I haven’t used Code Llama extensively, it can run locally, you have more control over your data, and there are no ongoing costs, making it an attractive choice for those who want to avoid subscription fees. If you don’t want to pay unless it’s worth it, Code Llama might be a good place to start.
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@ed_carter Thinking about it, I also should just to make sure we are not ‘over complicating’ what you are asking… As you call it a ‘chat bot’, and what @nadtriana and I been describing is more like full blown ‘code assist’ in your IDE.
For just asking ‘questions’, for free you can use ‘regular CoPilot’ on Windows PCs or on bing.com (it is, basically some variant of ChatGPT)-- or Google Gemini https://gemini.google.com/, both for free.
Even both of those will ‘do some code for you’, but it is not as specialized as the options @nadtriana and I have suggested.
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Both of your comments are very helpful and appreciated. The cost considerations and utility levels you report get to the heart of my question. I didn’t know if the course’s chatbot assistant was available for download or was created from a version of one of the free chatbots you mentioned.
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This may also be of help:
https://lmarena.ai/ > Leaderboard > Arena > Category:Coding [1]
where you can see the community rating of the various models for their coding ability, I assume that is mostly Python, but I have found them good for my other favourite and less well known language, Julia.
As you can see from the other tabs on the web page you can try out the various models for free with a side by side comparison and vote for the better response.
Hope you find that useful.
[1] chat.lmsys.org now redirects to lmarena.ai