drupal

When developing CrowdedText.com, I ran into the problem of needing read-only fields once a node had been created.  I didn't want to prohibit editing completely. Only for a few fields.

You can't just hide or disable the field, although that's a necessary step.  Anyone with a tool like Firebug would still be able to edit the html in real-time and submit the form, changing the value.  When some of your backend logic depends on the keeping these values accurate, this is a big no-no.

Technology shouldn't be used just for the sake of technology.  It should have a clear benefit that you can measure.  I could have the best shovel every made, hand-forged and encrusted with diamonds with a gold-trimmed handle (my dream), but if all I can do with it is dig holes, then fill them back up, what good is this ultimate shovel?

Don't reinvent the wheel.  It's a cliche for a reason.  And it's true in most aspects of life, especially business.  Very rarely will you want to start from scratch - with anything.

When launching a product or starting a business, would you like to invent plastic again?  How about paper?  The pen?  Of course not.

And yet with web development, many desire to do just that.  They desire to throw away years of experience and dedicated development in favor of untested, custom code.