The trend of re-inventing the wheel is on the rise. As new developers enter the industry, there appears to be a tendency to prefer the novel over the stable. I’ve seen developers favour one library over another simply by the number of commits or by how active it is. While I understand the desire to use libraries that are ‘actively’ maintained I do not understand the desire to use a library that is constantly changing. I would expect most developers would want their code to change more quickly than the libraries they are dependent upon. It struck me; they’re not in search of solutions or a way to add value, they’re in search of novelty.
Daily Mail Developer
They’re in search of constant titillation and ‘gossip’. They need to be using something new to feel like they’re innovating. Using a different library or the latest js build tool is not innovative, at best it’s novel at worst it’s naive.
More Yak Shaving
We could be solving real world problems, business or otherwise. Instead, we’re moving from bower to grunt or gulp or whatever.