Buy code, not build your own

I'm reading very interesting book Code Leader: Using People, Tools, and Processes to Build Successful Software from Patrick Cauldwell. The author is a professional software developer with the big development experience in various companies. He worked in any size companies from small startups to very big corporations. He saw the IT world from a different sight. But it is not a topic of the post. The post topic is buying code.

The first chapter of the Code Leader book is named as Buy, Not Build. In this chapter Patrick encourages us, to not write our own code. Sound odd, doesn't it? Our employees do not hire us to write code. We are hired to solve business problems using IT technologies. In most cases you don't have to write code to solve problems you may buy third-party code and use it in your project.

To make the expression sensible, Patrick Cauldwell gives us an excellent example with banks. If your company sells online banking software, then the core business value that you are delivering to your customers is banking. When it comes time to build your banking web site, and you need to ask user what day he wants his bill paid, you might want to add a calendar control to your web page. It's tempting (because we all like to write code) to immediately start writing a calendar control. After all, you can write one in no time, and you always wanted to. Besides, nobody else's calendar control is as good as the one that you can write. Upon reflection, however, you realize there is nothing about being able to write a calendar control that provides value directly to your business and customers.

To reduce expenses and your time you have to buy the calendar control from third-party company, that produce controls for businesses like yours. You have to write only the code directly connect to your business. This code makes the profit for your company and you was hired to write this code.

Our company provides libraries and controls for your business and independent software developers. If you buy our controls you will save your time and will be possible to make your software available for your customers as soon as possible. It makes our client additional competitive advantages.

All our libraries are shipped with full source code. It allows you:

• to integrate our code in your business much smoovely.
• you may advance our libraries to make it suitable to your needs. We do not recommend it will lead you to problems with upgrades. Let us make components suitable for your business. Contact us if you want to have any personal features.

Let us solve your problems because it is our business and it is what you pay for. Meanwhile you may write the code that gives you competitive advantages.