ChatGPT is Fabulous (and an Open Letter to the MikTEX developers)

© 2024 Mark McWiggins

I previously had written that “ChatGPT is my Autistic Friend” and was “not quite perfect.”

I just want to say for the record: I was wrong! Aplologies to the ChatGPT developers, not ChatGPT itself, which is unfailingly polite (although I am also polite, but I doubt very much that you could turn it into a troll the way Microsoft’s early AI doodad was turned into a racist troll no matter what sort of vitriol you dumped on its “head”.

I thought ChatGPT had made a mistake because I was trying to get LaTeX working on the Mac. I futzed around with this for days and finally upgraded to the latest MikTEX … and the bug survived!

I had not realized that a weird defect like this could survive that many generations of software … was there no one else developing LaTeX beyond some students? It made me wonder. So:

(1) Open Letter to the MikTex developers: You gals and guys are clearly missing some testing … I created an open source regression test automation tool that’s freely available, and if you don’t have a better solution you should download it and get it going.

(2) I … uh, know a lot of other stuff in CS and Security. Please take a look at my Medium portfolio and call me in the morning if you want to hire me for any gig: fulltime Software Manager is my preference, but I’m available for short term or temporary contract work.

(3) I am starting a business: https://medium.com/@m-mcwiggins/riverofjobs-com-a-new-job-search-site-13b2f393aa8d … if you are a recruiter and want to help me bury Workday and ICIMS in a deep hole and save a ton of money in the process, call me in the morning 425–369–8286 and I will set you up. First caller to sign up gets a half price deal through the end of 2025: $5 per job listing.

Thanks!