Comment by sp332
2 years ago
Yes, and it happens more for things that feel out of scope for the part of the program that I'm interested in. After all, we import library code from random strangers into our programs all the time for the parts we consider "plumbing" and beneath notice. If I wanted to dig in and understand something, I would be more likely to write my own. But if I want this part over here to "just work" so I can get on with the project, it's compiler-error-driven development.
Same, and even more so if it's something that feels like it should be in the library code in the first place.
My most copy-pasted code is projecting a point onto a line segment. I end up needing it all the time, it's never in whatever standard library for vector math I'm using, and it's faster to find on SO than to find and translate the code out of whatever my last project that needed it is. Way faster than re-deriving it.
Your vector math library is probably already code imported from random strangers, likely even imported by random strangers, so adding one more function from a random stranger feels entirely appropriate.