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Prompting Claude Opus 5.5

207 points · 227 comments · Michelangelo11

  1. mathisfun123 · · focus · HN ↗
    This "how to prompt" shit changes like every 3 months. Remember when earlier this year it was critical to tell Claude to keep going because it would just give up. It's amazing this is really considered a product - imagine having to relearn how to drive your car every 3 months.
    1. ulfw · · focus · HN ↗
      All this overhyped crap will explode and most of us will be poor but hey whatever. Some billionaires will be better off. That should make us all content
    2. ddosmax556 · · focus · HN ↗
      Not sure how you missed that but models are fundamentally changing in features, scope, intelligence, pricing, communication style. Of course it changes every 3 months. Of course there is no product that lasts more than 3 months. We're in a race right now. It won't stop changing for a while.
      1. mathisfun123 · · focus · HN ↗
        > Not sure how you missed that but models are fundamentally changing in features, scope, intelligence, pricing, communication style

        Not sure how you missed it but that's exactly what I'm calling out as asinine.

        > We're in a race right now

        Again: consider the analogy about cars... which are literally used for racing (occasionally).

        1. UrineSqueegee · · focus · HN ↗
          >Not sure how you missed it but that's exactly what I'm calling out as asinine.

          i dont understand how you're framing this. how is this a bad thing exactly? How is it asinine?

          1. mathisfun123 · · focus · HN ↗
            For the third and final time: consider the analogy about cars.
            1. [deleted] · · focus · HN ↗

              [deleted]

            2. [deleted] · · focus · HN ↗

              [deleted]

            3. dagss · · focus · HN ↗
              ...and cars also changed very rapidly during early years, not to mention how often they would break down and how they basically required the user to be a mechanic to repair them on the spot for many years.

              So the analogy isn't all that good is it?

              You are comparing immature tech with very mature tech.

              What technology emerged into the market fully finished?

              If your point is "don't use technology until it is mature" then you are of course free to not use it for now.

              1. spiclk · · focus · HN ↗
                And of course, we now know that encouraging everyone to own and rely on a contraption that emits fumes and other pollutants for its entire operating life was a bad idea.
            4. UrineSqueegee · · focus · HN ↗
              the analogy is asinine since they are not even remotely the same thing.

              Also cars change rapidly too, maybe thats the only thing they have in common lol. Have you gone from one maker to the other? everything is different, even how you set the gears.

            5. r_lee · · focus · HN ↗
              that's not a useful analogy, it's not like these models are CPUs where the cores just get increase in core count or clock speeds

              they fundamentally change, architecture, the way they're trained etc.

        2. ddosmax556 · · focus · HN ↗
          You are comparing mature technology to something that's on the edge of human advancement. It's like comparing the first steam driver cars with a Tesla, and complaining that the steering wheel looks different, and suddenly you have to press a pedal with a foot rather than a lever. Things are still changing!
    3. bronlund · · focus · HN ↗
      Yeah. It is not so much like a "coding assistant", but more like a temp agency sending you different autists every other month.

      Edit: Someone commented that this is insulting to autists, and I guess it kind of is - sorry. What I ment was an intellectual; one that can be an absolute retard, but have read an aweful lot.

      1. anotha_one · · focus · HN ↗
        This is an insult to autistic people. AI isn't autistic, it's retarded.
        1. alastairr · · focus · HN ↗
          I don't think this is any less insulting.
          1. anotha_one · · focus · HN ↗

            [dead]

        2. mf2hd · · focus · HN ↗
          Agree :)
          1. anotha_one · · focus · HN ↗

            [dead]

    4. kalleboo · · focus · HN ↗
      > imagine having to relearn how to drive your car every 3 months

      Cars were just like that during their early years, with tillers and knobs. See the video where Top Gear finds the first car with controls we recognize <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=fkwGJzU5B-I" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=fkwGJzU5B-I

    5. jmiskovic · · focus · HN ↗
      Did you know you can get certification from Anthropic? And it actually costs real money.
      1. epihelix · · focus · HN ↗
        What, an Anthropic Certified Prompt Engineer?
    6. spiclk · · focus · HN ↗
      Remember how we were going to be &quot;left behind&quot; if we didn&#x27;t &quot;keep up&quot;? I&#x27;m so glad I haven&#x27;t wasted any time or effort learning how to kick each month&#x27;s flavour of idiot assistant.
    7. dist-epoch · · focus · HN ↗
      You don&#x27;t have to use a car.

      You can stay on your horse. It&#x27;s perfectly usable. Don&#x27;t fall for the hype.

      1. spiclk · · focus · HN ↗
        It&#x27;s significantly more sustainable, as is that new-fangled bicycle.

        On the other hand, if your destination really is that important, feel free to blast there in a cloud of fumes and pollutants.

      2. mathisfun123 · · focus · HN ↗
        Lol I burn $300 of Claude tokens literally every day at $JOB. Doesn&#x27;t mean I can&#x27;t still think it sucks.
    8. tmalsburg2 · · focus · HN ↗
      Opus models after 4.8 didn’t work well with my homegrown harness, so I just skipped them until 5.5 which seems like a pretty happy match.
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