Reinvent The Wheel

Do not use something that was invented by some other person, in some other place, or at some other time. Instead, write it again from scratch, possibly with all the defects it already has.

Usually this term is used to let someone know that they are tediously repeating earlier discoveries/inventions/etc. and not reaping the benefits of previous endeavours: "You don't need to reinvent the wheel..."

However, when learning something new, it can be useful to ReinventTheWheel in order to grok the nature of the wheel in the first place. Occasionally, ReinventingTheWheel results in a better wheel; therefore, DontTakeAnythingForGranted?.

Similar to NotInventedHere, but not taking care if it was actually invented before.

I'm asked this when ever I have to build a wheel.

This pattern is a big vague. It would be quite complicated to have it fit in the AntiPatternTemplate. Perhaps it can be addressed through more general categories. The negative DontReinventTheWheel? could be a BestPractice.

Concur. This isn't a pattern; it's a meme, or possibly an idiom. What say you all?

I thought I should mention the (deliberate, presumably) irony that this article is a less well executed version of an already excellent entry ReinventingTheWheel.

CategoryAntiPattern, CategoryIdiom (?)