1. Because you feel you can do better.

2. Because you've nothing else to do and you want to be busy when your boss walks by.

3. Because it's so much more fun re-inventing the wheel than using someone else's.

4. Because you can learn from your experience.

5. Because you didn't realise that someone else already HAD invented it ... but ...

In Perl programming, we encourage you to use the CPAN. In Python, the Cheeseshop and [Vaults of Parnassus (ex http://www.vex.net/parnassus) - ed -see below] will save you hours of work recoding and maintaining. In PHP, there are great time-saving resources at PECL and PEAR.

Update - October 2012: My attention has been drawn to this old blog article ... resource sites more on, and the Vaults of Parnassus are no more; however, there is a new Python resource in the Python Package Index.

(written 2006-05-06, updated 2012-10-01)

 Y101 - Introduction to Python
  [317] Programming languages - a comparison - (2005-05-20)
  [380] Bridging to the customer requirement - (2005-07-16)
  [382] Central London Courses - Perl, PHP, Python, Tcl, MySQL - (2005-07-18)
  [444] Database or Progamming - which to learn first? - (2005-09-13)
  [629] Choosing the right language - (2006-03-01)
  [710] Linux training Glasgow, Python programming course Dundee - (2006-05-05)
  [745] Python modules. The distribution, The Cheese Shop and the Vaults of Parnassus. - (2006-06-05)
  [753] Python 3000 - the next generation - (2006-06-09)
  [834] Python makes University Challenge - (2006-08-15)
  [846] Is Perl being replaced by PHP and Python? - (2006-08-27)
  [909] Python is like a narrowboat - (2006-10-30)
  [949] Sludge off the mountain, and Python and PHP - (2006-11-27)
  [950] Python and the Magic Roundabout - (2006-11-27)
  [1375] Python v Ruby - (2007-10-02)
  [1663] Python in an afternoon - a lecture for experienced programmers - (2008-06-01)
  [4118] We not only teach PHP and Python - we teach good PHP and Python Practice! - (2013-06-18)
  [4298] Python - an interesting application - (2014-09-18)
  [4590] Progress on moving from Python 2 to Python 3 - training for both versions - (2015-12-01)

P219 - Perl - Libraries and Resources
  [86] Talk review - Idiomatic Perl, David Cross - (2004-10-12)
  [112] Avoid the wheel being re-invented by using Perl modules - (2004-11-08)
  [357] Where do Perl modules load from - (2005-06-24)
  [358] Use standard Perl modules - (2005-06-25)
  [737] Coloured text in a terminal from Perl - (2006-05-29)
  [760] Self help in Perl - (2006-06-14)
  [1219] Judging the quality of contributed Perl code - (2007-06-06)
  [1235] Outputting numbers as words - MySQL with Perl or PHP - (2007-06-17)
  [1391] Ordnance Survey Grid Reference to Latitude / Longitude - (2007-10-14)
  [1444] Using English can slow you right down! - (2007-11-25)
  [1863] About dieing and exiting in Perl - (2008-11-01)
  [1865] Debugging and Data::Dumper in Perl - (2008-11-02)
  [2229] Do not re-invent the wheel - use a Perl module - (2009-06-11)
  [2234] Loading external code into Perl from a nonstandard directory - (2009-06-12)
  [2427] Operator overloading - redefining addition and other Perl tricks - (2009-09-27)
  [2931] Syncronise - software, trains, and buses. Please! - (2010-08-22)
  [3009] Expect in Perl - a short explanation and a practical example - (2010-10-22)
  [3101] The week before Christmas - (2010-12-23)
  [3377] What do I mean when I add things in Perl? - (2011-08-02)

H101 - Introduction to PHP
  [48] PHP - onwards and upwards - (2004-09-14)
  [55] Evening classes to learn PHP - (2004-09-19)
  [93] Case Sensitive? - (2004-10-19)
  [124] PHP v Java - (2004-11-20)
  [132] Portrait of the author - (2004-11-27)
  [135] Too many Perls - (2004-11-30)
  [341] Happy Birthday, PHP - (2005-06-09)
  [433] FTP - how to make the right transfers - (2005-09-01)
  [577] Learning to program in Perl or PHP - (2006-01-26)
  [624] It's REALLY easy to add a little PHP - (2006-02-26)
  [646] PHP - London course, Melksham Course, Evening course - (2006-03-14)
  [691] Testing you Perl / PHP / MySQL / Tcl knowledge - (2006-04-19)
  [789] Hot answers in PHP - (2006-07-02)
  [795] Remember a site's non-technical issues too - (2006-07-07)
  [917] Syntax checking in PHP - (2006-11-07)
  [924] The LAMP Cookbook - Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP / Perl - (2006-11-13)
  [1050] The HTML++ Metalanguage - (2007-01-22)
  [1198] From Web to Web 2 - (2007-05-21)
  [1717] Q - Should I use Perl or Python? - (2008-07-23)
  [1753] Perl v PHP, choosing the right language - (2008-08-14)
  [1958] PHP - Parse error: syntax error, unexpected $end ... - (2008-12-23)
  [2097] PHP Course - for hobby / club / charity users. - (2009-03-22)
  [3025] Learning to Program ... in PHP. Course examples. - (2010-11-01)
  [4621] The power of scripting - (2016-01-12)

Back to THE home directory or MY home directory

Previous and next or Horse's mouth home

Forward to Pictures from my travels

Evaluating arithmetic expressions in configuration files
First way to get rid of customers
Room for Octopuses
Pictures from my travels
Why reinvent the wheel
THE home directory or MY home directory
Handling huge data files in PHP
Linescapes of Mull
A story of goldfish