These days I usually try to implement something from scratch before taking on a dependency. A lot of times I find I never need more than a tiny slice of the fun

These days I usually try to implement something from scratch before taking on a dependency. A lot of times I find I never need more than a tiny slice of the functionality a library would offer. And even if I decide I need one after all, I have a much better appreciation and understanding of what it's giving me. Over time I've developed a sense for what sorts of things are likely to be hard to do myself.