This blog entry may raise some blood pressures if I do not give some of my history. I have been around computers since the early 80’s. I self taught how to program on a C64. (Love that computer) I dabbled in programming for quite some time until I figured out it was actually a career. In the late 90’s I finished college with a degree from the University of Central Florida. (Bachelors of Computer Science) During my classes, they talked about this code reusability concept at this time; libraries of code that would make programming easier. Java was to be the amazing step in that direction. It certainly pushed the programming community in the right direction. I, however, was a developer after all. Any time a problem came up, the solution was charge into development. I want to program! Must code, will code for food, and every other cliché you can think of here. I ended up getting laid off twice due to that mentality. Maybe the professors were right, maybe I shouldn’t blow five days to create a program that adds 2+2 when calculator programs out there were available. After my last programming job with Kaegan Corporation in Orlando, I was pretty much ready to torch the “develop it!” standard I carried so proudly after graduation. There indeed was something that was said for code reusability. Enter SharePoint.
I have said and will continue to say that about 90% of the development that is being done for “SharePoint” is unnecessary. (Now you understand why I had to start with a history lesson to show where I have come from) I have been using SharePoint for over four years now, and it continues to amaze me. The power of out of box functionality is absolutely amazing and grossly underestimated. Microsoft doesn’t even know what it has its hands on, and that is proven when you go to the SharePoint pages on their web site. SharePoint is so much more than just a collaboration tool now. Even so with SharePoint Portal server 2003 with the right amount of understanding and Office 2003 Pivot Table web parts. 
As a former developer (I still code in an online game just because I do enjoy to code) I am constantly amazed at the ability and flexibility of SharePoint’s out of box functionality. The ability to create some solid solutions to business problems I have come across at clients in different verticals. This out of box ability if pursues is more robust then many give SharePoint credit for. I have come across several scenarios, where I have seen custom development work that almost mirrored the out of box functionality. It reminds me of myself when I came out of college. The depth of SharePoint is much deeper than one would think at first glance. The thing is you need to spend time working with SharePoint, playing around with it, and sometimes twisting it until it breaks. Before you gasp, breaking it is very rare when you are just using out of box functionality and twisting it to what you need.
As versatile as the out of box functionality is, there are situations where it does not have the ability to do what is needed. Time to develop… right? NO! It’s time to do some research. There are some excellent Microsoft Partners who create web parts, templates, web solutions and SharePoint plug in’s that may do what you’re looking for. Some of these companies that I have used or suggested are AvePoint, Syntergy, Bamboo Solutions and Quest. No I am not getting paid for plugging them, nor would I want to be. This blog is for the sole purpose of helping SharePoint users and potential users to become more equipped with knowledge. The fact I am trying to point out in this post is, Development in a SharePoint environment is happening much too often considering the tools and resources out there.
I also left our SharePoint Designer. I am impressed with this new generation revamp of the old and not too loved FrontPage. Not only can you build workflows with a sharp though not always intuitive GUI, but there are other goodies that come with it as well. One of which is the very powerful data grid and other webparts that can allow someone with development abilities create some unique out of box solutions. Going with office applications, InfoPath is another area where solutions could really become possible with out of box functionality. May still need to make a custom SQL database now and then for back end repositories for your information, but that is database administration, not developing in the SharePoint environment.
Is there room for development in the world of SharePoint? Absolutely. However, go through the paces and know SharePoint before you jump onto the development bandwagon. There are a lot of nasty side effects that can stem from development. Functionality of SharePoint may not work as it should, the inability to upgrade easily to newer versions of SharePoint to be released later, introduction of memory leaks into a stable environment are just some of the possible side effects that comes with development. Again, I love programming, but it’s amazing: I think I have all possible scenarios covered and one flies under the radar and I write over the kernal. 
I am going to use this platform of communication to give examples of how to use out of box functionality in SharePoint to solve business problems. If you have an idea, please feel free to sent me an email and ask, or just post a note on one of my blog entries.
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