6 articles
Three free tools you need to know exist. One imposes a way of working before any code gets written. Another shows you where your tokens go. The third gives it design judgement. What each one does, how to install them, and what they cost you.
In almost every language, incorrect code breaks and tells you. An incorrect SQL query runs, returns rows and nobody finds out. What to check before accepting one, and what changed in the databases themselves.
What you actually pay for when using a language model to write code, why the bill almost never comes from the model you picked, and the practices that cut spending most without lowering the quality of the result.
It compiles, it passes the tests and it looks tidy. That does not mean it is right. Six concrete things worth checking, in the order the real problems show up.
Your assistant answers general questions well but knows nothing about your database. Giving it access means writing an ordinary program. What MCP is, how to write one, and the three security mistakes that keep repeating.
From a platform that only ran on Windows to a cross-platform one with artificial intelligence support in its base library. The complete path, and the decision that defined each stage.
