On the web development market it is commonly believed that custom programming is not longer popular service and clients prefer to deal with stable open-source products instead of starting a totally new development.
The main benefit of custom programming is that a project can be developed in the way we want it. You can make a brief, a programmer translates it into computer language and it works. Unfortunately, we may leave some important details out and then it will be painful to add them at a later stage. Programming is often compared to building a house. So when, for example, you forget to include pipes at the planning stage, then you have to break the walls to put them later.
Custom created code can be protected both using technical and legal measures and your rights will be reserved. Therefore, you will not be limited in what is possible to do with the code: sell it or provide it to users in Software as a service model.
If your code was developed according to industry standards and is well-documented, it can be developed and extended further without a lot of hassle. In case of a third-party code it may be difficult because it uses a different coding style, not fully documented or was programmed without further extension in mind.
Custom development creates a product having pre-defined set of features and nothing extra. Lots of complications in use of the CMS are brought by the fact that it was written to serve the community of thousands of people and their needs which sometimes do not match our own requirements.
If you decide to create your website or an application on one of the popular CMS software, all you need to do is download it, install (usually it goes with a descent installer that even a non-professional user can figure out). Then you may consider hiring an expert to customize the design and to tweak some features if necessary. After this, the new website is up and fully functional. Such an easy start combined with zero upfront investment is very encouraging to CMS users, who tend to use ready software packages instead of the custom development.
It is even more important that starting a project on a CMS does not require any additional testing or bug-fixing. It has already been done by the CMS developers and their consolidated experience is included in the package. Just bear in mind that an open-source software has its code open which make it more exposed to hacking. This is our recommendation to keep it up to date and regularly check for security updates.
Another benefit of using a CMS is when you need to add a new feature there are good chances that someone has already developed a plugin that can be installed into your system. Joomla, WordPress and Magento have thousands of free and commercial modules virtually for any purpose. This is not something so easy to do with your custom code.
Something else, if you want to extend your existing CMS website it will be easy to find a consultant, because this code is well-known to wide audience of developers. On the contrary, your custom development is tied to your original programmer who created it, otherwise a new programmer would need some time and efforts to familiarize himself with it.
Having considered all the benefits of the CMS development we can argue that it is the sure way to go for any typical project like a company website or a blog. Likewise custom development is great if you are creating something new and unique. This is the main reasons why internet start-ups prefer to hire custom programmers.
