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Kalesh Kaladharan

How often do you reinvent the wheel?

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I do this a lot. I started programming from very early age. Ten years later I still have the same excitement when I start coding something. And most of the time, rather than looking at the business aspect of projects, I look at how the project can improve my coding skills. And this makes me reinvent everything. I push myself to study a new language or framework for every other project. Me trying to build new websocket library from scratch to creating a simpler web framework for PHP from scratch (when Laravel already existed) to creating a NodeJS framework from scratch to learning React when I am already very comfortable with Vue are all some examples. There are hundred other instances. Anybody else have this issue? Why am I doing this?🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😉🤪
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Robert McCulloch
I'm convinced everything is broken. I mean EVERYTHING! Sometimes it just takes a little longer to see it. ;-)
Kalesh Kaladharan
@adwordsinsider Maybe! The thing is I know that I am reinventing a lot and still continue to do it. Maybe, I enjoy it. Maybe I just like to code and learn new languages and don't want to gain anything out of it🤷🏼‍♀️
Caroline Chiari
ALL. THE. TIME! Right now, I want to put a code editor in my app. I know there are a few out there, and yet I'm looking into how to write it myself because I want to know how it works underneath.
Kalesh Kaladharan
@caroline_chiari Same happens with me all the time. Although, I won't do an editor. Generating code (be it HTML or any other language) using code is super-complex and I know it can take months or years to get it right.
Caroline Chiari
@kalesh13 Tell me about it! That's what koupi.io is and it took me a year to do, and it never seems to end.
Harsh Kansagara
Pagemaker
I've tried numerous times. I've built my own jquery date picker, modal plugin, VueJS component library, CSS framework completely customizable with CSS variables, VueJS table plugin, JSON based form builder and what not! I believe this is the only trick to go in depth and learn which can't be achieved by using ready to use libraries. 😅
Kalesh Kaladharan
@theharshin True! Right now, I don't have this many packages under my belt. But if I am going to continue this, I will definitely have a ton of unfinished private repos in my Git.😁
Valerie Fenske
A year back I would give you a high five after reading this post, But now I want to encourage you by saying "control yourself!" :) p.s. a regular retrospective works miracles
Kalesh Kaladharan
@valeryfenskaya Yeah I know I am doing it the wrong way, if I am supposed to think only from a business perspective. I guess I am not looking to provide any value. I think I am addicted to learning new tools. My bad. I have to control this.
Valerie Fenske
@kalesh13 keeping a backlog helps!
Sourabh Wasnik
Depth vs breadth of knowledge.
kush
This really depends upon what are you trying to accomplish. My current goal is to ship fast for Lightcat.io . So I do not reinvent anything. It is more important to write code that's useful to your customers, than write great code. But when my goal is to have fun, and tinker with something I find interesting, I'd sure reinvent the wheel. That would be an "art project" or a "toy", not something I intend to get users for.
Kalesh Kaladharan
@kush_apoorva You are right! I am not able to find that ship fast approach on any of my personal side projects. The story is different for client projects or on my job where there is strict guidelines on the tech stack to use and deadlines.👍😀
J. Olson
Cardinal
Yeah, seems to be a common problem with devs. I'm getting better these days, but still fall back to this way of thinking now and then!
Jay Rhyder
I used to do it a lot until I realized how unproductive it is. Innovation doesn't mean you have to create something from scratch. Those who are first to market are those who know how to look at something and make it 10X better, more effecient, faster, etc. - And, those who are first to market win. Have a nice day! :)