Forem: Jose Pico

AI for everyone: Who’s Leading the AI race — ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot and More?

Jose Pico — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:16:46 +0000

AI often sounds like a complex, almost sci-fi concept reserved for tech geniuses. But the truth is, AI is already part of our daily lives, whether we notice it or not. Like it or not, it’s something we all need to start exploring, regardless of our backgrounds.

I’ll be honest: I’ve found myself overwhelmed by the flood of AI jargon out there. Every day there’s a new name —ChatGPT o3, o4-mini, o4-high, Opus 4, Gemini 2.5— and it’s hard to keep track. Which one is newer? Which one is smarter? Meanwhile, bosses and companies are rushing to “install AI” as if it were just another app like Word or Excel.

But AI isn’t an app.
It’s more like a skill — or even a mindset.

Sure, you’ve probably heard a lot of ChatGPT at first. I did too. But what if I told you this is not the only one. Gemini, Claude, and other models are also out there, each with their own strengths, peculiarities, and even “personalities.” They all use something called LLMs (Large Language Models) to reason and generate answers, often working in two broad modes: reasoning and inference (I’ll break down these two concepts below).

In this article, I want to give you a beginner-friendly tour through this fascinating landscape — so you can understand not just what AI is, but also who’s building it, how these different models compare, and why it all matters.

Full article can be found here

GitKraken and Its AI Superpowers: Why I’m Loving it as a Developer

Jose Pico — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:01:14 +0000

If you’re a developer, you know this story.
You open your terminal, run a few Git commands, and suddenly your branch looks like spaghetti 🍝. Merge conflicts? Detached HEAD state? Submodules pulling you in five directions at once? Yeah, we’ve all been there.

That’s why I’ve been having a lot of fun lately experimenting with GitKraken. At first, I thought it was “just another Git tool”, but honestly, it’s much more than that.

Want to Try It?
If Git has ever made you scratch your head (or bang it against the desk 😅), I highly recommend giving GitKraken a shot.

👉 You can grab it here — and full disclosure, if you sign up through this link, you’ll get 50% off, and we both get a little reward. Win-win

Here is a video for you to watch how it works:

The Power of Seeing Your Git History
What makes GitKraken special is its visual graph. Instead of trying to mentally trace commits from the CLI, GitKraken lays them out in a clean, colorful, and interactive UI.

You see branches split and merge in real-time.
It’s super easy to drag, drop, and resolve conflicts visually.
And if you’re dealing with something painful like multiple submodules (hello, Moodle devs 👋), GitKraken makes it way less intimidating by showing relationships clearly.

For me, this was a game changer. With Moodle’s complex codebase and submodules, GitKraken helped me understand what was going on without constantly flipping between docs and terminal.

Complete version of this article can be found here

Still Writing PHP in 2025? Absolutely, (even with AI) and here’s why.

Jose Pico — Sat, 17 May 2025 10:18:23 +0000

So… is PHP dying?
Not at all.

PHP continues to power a massive part of the web. It has evolved with modern practices and tooling, it’s still very much capable of delivering robust, scalable applications.

And let’s be real, if you’re working in education tech, content management, or legacy systems, chances are PHP is part of your daily toolkit.

With the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot, one might wonder: Is PHP still relevant in this new world? Is it still relevant when AI is changing how we write and think about code?

You can find the full article on Medium.com

Elevate Your Debugging: Transitioning from Print Statements to Advanced Tools

Jose Pico — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 22:30:48 +0000

Debugging is a critical skill in software development, directly impacting productivity and code quality. While traditional methods like var_dump() and print statements have their place, modern debugging tools offer significant advantages that can streamline the development process.

Current Debugging Practices

Anecdotal evidence suggests that a substantial number of developers still rely on print statement debugging. For instance, discussions on platforms like Reddit reveal that many programmers find print statements effective for certain tasks, such as sequencing and understanding program flow . However, this approach can be less efficient for complex debugging scenarios.

The Case for Advanced Debugging Tools

Dedicated debugging tools provide several benefits over print statements:

Efficiency: Tools like Xdebug allow developers to set breakpoints, inspect variables, and step through code, reducing the need for guesswork.

Comprehensive Insight: Advanced debuggers offer a holistic view of the application's state, aiding in identifying and resolving issues more effectively.

Productivity Gains: By minimizing the time spent on diagnosing problems, developers can focus more on feature development and optimization.

Personal Experience

Transitioning from print statement debugging to using Xdebug with PHPStorm marked a significant improvement in my development workflow. The ability to interactively debug code not only accelerated bug resolution but also enhanced my understanding of the codebase.

Take away

While print statements can be useful for quick checks, integrating advanced debugging tools into your development process can lead to substantial productivity gains and a deeper comprehension of your code. Embracing these tools is a step toward becoming a more efficient and effective developer.

𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙮 𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙂𝙄𝙏 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨

Jose Pico — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 10:30:23 +0000

Version control has become a non-negotiable in today’s fast-paced development world, and GIT stands out as a powerful tool for managing code efficiently. Most developers are familiar with commands like git pull, git push, or git commit, but GIT has so much more to offer. 🚀

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗜𝗧 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹? 🤔
In a world of continuous integration, automation, and large-scale collaboration, version control like GIT is the backbone of any successful development project. It allows teams to work in parallel, track every change, and revert when things go wrong 🤯 - empowering developers to move quickly and confidently. 🤓

Here are some of my favourite GIT commands 😃

Cover Photo by Yancy Min on Unsplash