Not long ago the Visual Studio installation on my main laptop decided to not work. Specifically, as soon as I opened any project Visual Studio closed immediately without any messages of any kind. The problem turned out to be related to the VMware plug-in for Visual Studio.
Any heavy computer user is going to encounter issues like this from time to time. That’s just life in this field. Still, when it happens to me I tend to get philosophical. I wonder if computer systems have become too complicated for their own good. Certainly I personally do not need all of the features and capibilities that modern software packages provide. I didn’t even know VMware had a Visual Studio plug-in until it started acting up on me. When complex software packages begin to misbehave because of interactions between components I don’t care about… something has to be done. But what?
I long for the days of simple software. I want software that only does what I need and not one thing more. Of course when I need my software to do something new, I’d like that new feature to become available. How could that happen? There is only one way I can see to get software like that: write it myself.
Thus I introduce “Project Wheel.” The goal of Project Wheel is to build a system composed entirely of software I wrote myself. Such a system would be small and simple (out of necessity), and also extremely customized to suite my needs. In addition I would, in theory, understand how it all works… and be in a position to personally fix anything that is broken.
Of course this idea is utterly nuts. Even if I worked 24/7 for the rest of my life I would not be able to single handedly buid a usable system from scratch. Yet even if the goal is unattainable the philosophy is, perhaps, still worthwhile. It is a philosophy of simplicity and self-reliance. Software should be functional, to the point, and tailored to the individual… not loaded with useless glitz that might (or might not) be interesting to someone somewhere.
Yet if Wheel is to have any practical feasibility at all, some concessions will be necessary. For example, I think one reasonable compromise would be to use software built by a team of which you are a member. Thus a follower of Wheel could use traditional open source packages provided he or she is actively participating in the development of those packages.
For example, I’m involved in the development of Open Watcom. Thus I could be fairly true to the Wheel philosophy if I used Open Watcom as the compiler for all my programs. It’s true that I don’t understand how all of Open Watcom works. However, I could in principle come to understand it because it is open source and, what’s more, I’m already engaged with that project and working on it.
Obviously it isn’t feasible to build an entire, modern system from custom made software. Yet I wonder how far one can really go with this idea. Years ago I wrote a simple text editor of my own. Maybe it’s time to clean up that source, compile it with Open Watcom, and then use it to start cranking out software. Yes, maybe it’s time to reinvent the wheel.
Technically Rambling 
Wheels are re-created all the time… the basic concept stays the same. They have all-terrain wheels, self inflating wheels, wooden wheels, stone wheels, gears, cogs, etc. Each one of them is a “wheel”, but each one of them is specialized toward a certain purpose.
Reinventing the wheel is not the same thing as fabricating a new one. Wheels were invented to solve the problem of transporting goods easier, but things like cogs aren’t used to transport anything. Sometimes we have to tailor a tool to our purposes.
Tools are tailored all the time in the real world. Adjusting them to fit the need.
Jack-hammers, are pneumatic powered hammers, tailored to elaborate on the deconstructive feature of a normal hammer.
When all you have is a jack-hammer, everything looks like a piece of tarmac.
Sometimes, one size doesn’t fit all… and just because it’s a wheel, doesn’t mean it will work for your vehical.
(just being philosophical)