Despite the economic advantages of mass production, custom solutions (including mini-languages and application specific design tools) still have an important place in software development. Where off the shelf components, languages, or methods can be used—great! But be aware of the trap of trying to pound a round peg into a square hole. If you need a square peg, build it, from scratch if you need to. Software that doesn’t quite fit, like an off-the-rack suit, will never fit like a custom, tailor made one.
Can you afford such a development effort? Can you afford to spend the money and dedicate the resources to do it to perfectly fit your organization and unique circumstances?
In the hyper-competitive world of the next millennium, can you afford not to?