Just like most designers would rather create their designs from scratch, most developers enjoy writing all their code from scratch. All coders love coding, right? Yeah, some people do like sitting still inside a cubicle and writing endless lines of codes so that the end-users can perform certain tasks with ease. He is like an invisible gatekeeper; a coder is indispensable in an organization but somehow his works are not appreciated by general people.
Therefore, I would say why wasting time coding manually the same lines of codes over and over again just to make sure everything is in perfect order. Dude, the universe is not even perfect order. Planets are colliding with each other, black holes are devouring elements; things are utter chaos out there. After all, chaos is the ladder to success.
Moreover, copying code is not bad. Writing thousands of lines of codes that are already been written by some other dude is utterly meaningless and pointless after. There is more to life than coding and money.
So, here are top 5 reasons why you need to stop writing your own code right now –
Table of Contents
1. Time really is money
I’m often amazed at how often small businesses balk at using other people’s code, perhaps because they believe they can write something better or perhaps because they don’t like spending money (if the software is commercial). In reality, it is very rare for anyone to develop a piece of software for cheaper than they can utilize an existing piece (if such exists). Before you start any large project, it’s always worth spending a couple hours checking out other software, and then estimating how long it would take you to self-develop.
2. Other people have written it better
Both commercial and open-source software has the advantage of being inspected and run by many people. Especially in the case of open-source software, you have some of the best programmers in the development community behind such projects. (In fact, some of the best development firms hire their programmers from the open-source community.) Plus, both open-source and commercial software (that includes source code) usually have more features than you even considered before writing your own software.
3. Learn from other programmers
As noted in the previous point, there are some really great programmers out there writing code. If you’re used to coding things yourself or are part of a small business, you don’t get exposed much to different coding styles. Some of the best education I have gained is from real-world examples by programmers with more experience than I.
4. Expand your resource library
In my opinion, resourcefulness is one of the most important qualities a person can have. Especially in a smaller business, I would take an above-average developer who knew how to find anything over a better programmer who insisted on developing everything himself. The more you know about where to “find stuff,” the more useful and efficient you can be. If you’ve never gone out and explored the vastness of software resources out there, you’re missing out.
5. Better exit strategies
Most people enjoy the comfort and satisfaction of working with their own code. What is often not considered is that the code they write could become forever tied to the programmer. For instance, if you use popular software for a shopping cart or a CMS, you can always find someone else to help out if you ever leave the client/business. Or if you ever need to sell a company, the transition can be much easier if you’re using some frameworks or open-source code that the incoming programmers are familiar with.
