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reinvent the wheel

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reinvent the wheel

(jargon)
To design or implement a tool equivalent to an existing one or part of one, with the implication that doing so is silly or a waste of time. This is often a valid criticism. On the other hand, automobiles don't use wooden rollers, and some kinds of wheel have to be reinvented many times before you get them right. On the third hand, people reinventing the wheel do tend to come up with the moral equivalent of a trapezoid with an offset axle.
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References in periodicals archive
The following are a couple of definitions of "reinventing the wheel." They are similar in meaning, but each has some little differences.
Two sides of reinventing the wheel
After all, there's no point in reinventing the wheel.
In praise of reinventing the wheel: if schools want programs that work for them, Ms. Thomas argues, it often makes sense to start from scratch instead of copying someone else's program
We see this phenomenon of "not reinventing the wheel" in applications as diverse as engineering design, pre-press projects and even animated films.
UDO: why professional optical storage makes sense in a low-cost disk world
Using current knowledge on engagements and incurring a lower cost of return by not reinventing the wheel follow closely behind.
Knowledge sharing is a chance-management exercise
The phrase "reinventing the wheel" seems appropriate to convey the chaos that would ensue if there were no standards or if they were universally ignored.
The value and use of standards in the microfilm industry; no industry that creates, disseminates, and stores information can reach its potential until it establishes standards that will result in product and procedural uniformity. (Management Wise)
An unfortunate result is the "reinventing the wheel" syndrome.
Activating the 'Action Learning Process' at your mill; the ALP can leverage industry expertise for problem solving while creating and capturing new knowledge
We stopped reinventing the wheel simply because our old organizational structure demanded duplication.
Communicating in a vortex: getting sucked in is not all bad
Perhaps cynically we would say that the greatest value of these books is to save backers the trouble of reinventing the wheel.
Hack Attacks Encylcopedia: A Complete History of Hacks, Cracks, Phreaks, and Spies Over Time. (Book Browser)
"We're not reinventing the wheel," said Kathryn Korte, Senior Vice President of Sotheby's International Realty and a task force member.
Creating Multiple Listing Service: Pre-emptive strike or just first step?
Carvin, who serves as editor of the Website, says that while it's always good to see new digital divide efforts get under way, it's frustrating to watch nonprofit groups waste their limited resources "reinventing the wheel," instead of making use of the knowledge already gained by similar groups.
The Digital Divide Network
In order to achieve the above without wasting time, money and effort on effectively reinventing the wheel, it is necessary to have access to published information on topics such as new materials, modification of existing materials, modification or improvement of existing techniques, new technologies, and new or improved machinery.
Finding information on rubber using the Rapra Abstracts database
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