“Wait…wait…still waiting…”
Looking at the spinning loading icon of Github Copilot, I rubbed my sore eyes for the ten thousandth time.
Every time I write code, I have to wait 5-10 seconds for it to give suggestions. Sometimes, after waiting for half a day, the suggestions are still not what I want. Who can stand this?
While using Copilot, I was also comparing it to the open source project Cline. Just last week I used it to develop a few small test applications, and to be honest the overall experience was quite amazing
What is Cline?
Here is a brief introduction for those who don’t know Cline. Cline is an AI assistant that can help you write code in your editor. It is a true open source alternative to Cursor. It is even more powerful when combined with Deepseek.
Like Cursor, in addition to code completion, it is also a programming partner that can help you complete complex tasks. It can:
- Create and edit documents based on natural language
- Automatic execution of commands
- Even able to operate the browser itself
v3.1: More and more Cursor
Let’s take a look at what’s updated in the latest version released yesterday. It really hits the pain points:
1. Powerful checkpoint function
Just like saving a game, Cline will now automatically save a snapshot after each operation:
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- Want to see what’s changed? The “Compare” button helps you compare
- Want to regret? The “Restore” button provides three restore methods: Restore All (most commonly used)
- Restore only the task (correction of incorrect operation)
- Restore code only (keep Cline’s work in progress)
2. View all changes with one click
Now when you complete a task, you will see a “See new changes” button, which will show you all the changes. Friends who have turned on the automatic mode no longer have to worry about missing important changes!
3. Thoughtful space management
- Automatically displays the space occupied by each task, and provides a convenient delete button
- Its basic principle is based on Git’s efficient storage
After several weeks of intensive updates, it has become closer and closer to the cursor. Let’s review:
v3.0: Automatic approval mode
- Like Cursor’s Yolo mode, you can let Cline automatically perform tasks
- Fine-grained permission control: file reading and writing, terminal commands, browser usage, etc.
- Support background task notifications
- Large file editing optimization, faster and safer
- Added .clinerules configuration file, which can also set project rules
v2.2: MCP protocol support
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- You can add custom tools, such as web search, GitHub tools, etc. If you don’t know MPC, you can click here: Anthropic’s heavy open source MCP: a configuration that turns Claude into an all-round player
- Cline can create new tools on its own, such as:
You can easily issue commands: - “Add a function to pull Jira tickets”
- “Add a function to manage AWS servers”,
The tool will be saved in ~/Documents/Cline/MCP for easy sharing
v2.1: Computer Automation Capabilities
- It can start the browser independently and supports operations such as clicking, inputting, and scrolling. It is particularly suitable for automated testing. You can follow the ByteNote video account bytenote. We will have detailed video demonstrations in the future to teach you how to operate.
Why is it the best AI programming assistant?
- All-round helper:
- Not only write code, but also help you debug and test
- Strong autonomy and can solve problems automatically
- You can also add new features to yourself
- Open source and free:
- Completely open source, no paywall
- Frequent updates, with new features almost every week
- Super autonomy:
- You can operate the browser yourself
- Can execute terminal commands
- Support custom tools
at last
After reading these updates, I have to say that the Cline team is really awesome. 3.0 was released just a week ago, and now a major update 3.1 has been released. All these powerful features are completely free, which is particularly rare in the current environment where AI tools are generally charged. Combined with Deepseek, it is really super powerful!