From: Michael Schuerig <michael@...>
Date: 2008-01-04T10:10:15+09:00
Subject: Don't write your own X (was: Zed Shaw - Ruby has dodged a bullet)

On Friday 04 January 2008, Jay Levitt wrote:
> The very same arguments people use about "write your own
> authentication system so you know what it does" can be extrapolated
> to "write your own framework" - and, from there, to "write your own
> language", "build your own computer", and "don't believe anything you
> haven't seen with your own eyes". �It's all of a piece.

I'd consider it bad advice to tell people to "write your own X so you 
know what it does." It encourages people to ignore work that has 
already been done and particularly ignore the thinking that has gone 
into that work already. What's the point of having your homebrew X that 
you fully understand, but that is broken-as-designed? Write your own X 
if you understand the existing alternatives and they can't be made to 
do what you need.

Michael

-- 
Michael Schuerig
mailto:michael@schuerig.de
http://www.schuerig.de/michael/