I’m a software engineer. One of the cornerstone principles to guys like me is “Never re-invent the wheel.” Wow, that one belongs in the “A Task for You: Count the Buzzwords” post I did a while back. So to use the principle, I Google my problem, and I either find out that what I want to do can’t be done with today’s technology, or I find the answer (with examples on one of the best websites out there for software developers/engineers (at any level)…

CodeProject.com is a developer’s community where people from all over the world post their solutions to problems they’ve encountered during their work. Sometimes their solutions are entire applications - with source code that - you can download and run for yourself, or check the code to see how it works. It’s a wonderful site, with tons of offerings from many authors. Keep in mind that these people are giving you their code and logic free of charge, so keep that in mind when you look at the code only to find poor or missing comments. Also remember to give them credit if you’re using their ideas or code.

Sites like these make the internet something great, and I use this site just about everyday. Check it out for yourself (if you’re a developer/engineer), and if you have something to contribute, go for it!