FAQ 3.11 What is the right approach with off-the-shelf class libraries and frameworks?

Buy, don't build.

Unless there's a compelling reason, don't roll your own class library or technical framework from scratch. There was a time when there wasn't much in the way of technical frameworks and class libraries, and back then it made sense to roll your own. But those days have passed. Note that it is still not possible to buy much in the way of industry-specific frameworks, so there is an ongoing need to build "business frameworks," but most technology-oriented frameworks are abundantly available.

For example, people using distributed objects should choose between a CORBA implementation and the latest variation of DCOM/COM+. It will be a hard decision, and it can't be analyzed in one paragraph, but the important idea is to avoid building a custom ORB unless there is some compelling reason to do so.