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Discussion on: Should I write my own lib for a work project?

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nitzanhen profile image
Nitzan Hen

Great post!
My personal greatest consideration when thinking about starting a new library (or any other side project, for that matter) is the time it takes to get something meaningful out of it versus how much free time I currently have - I often find myself willing to start something new when I don't even have a fraction of the time needed for it (and not surprisingly, my few attempts at those were not successful 😅).
It's also easy to underestimate the amount of work required, on the library itself and its peripherals (docs, tests, etc.).

That being said, there's a unique type of fun you get from working on your own ideas and bringing them to fruition. And even more so when other people start using it, e.g. in open-source libraries!

Finally, it's only semi related, but there's a methodology called InnerSource, the essence of which is bringing open-source ideas and best practices to inner organization tools. It's not always possible to affect the "working culture" of an organization by a lot to properly make use of it, but it's still a beautiful (and novel!) paradigm.

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arodionova profile image
Aleksandra Rodionova

Thanks, Nitzan! Timing indeed is very important, I rarely can finish a small side project if I don't do everything in one go 😂 which is rarely the case. So yes, it's a grate idea to properly estimate it before you start!

InnerSourse seems like an interesting paradigm! Thanks for sharing 🙂