Should one remake the project which can possibly use an Open source project?

Question

I have a friend, he needs to build a booking system for hotel. Now there are two aspects I got from this thread -

http://www.webmasterworld.com/ecommerce/3548668.htm#

You have to search around but there are good quality open-source projects out there. Of course to get all the specifics you'd need to do some custom coding in the first place, but why pay to reinvent the wheel? Building off an open-source project will be faster and cheaper.

And another..

Building off an open source project limits your asset value, exposes you to significant security risks (witness the large number of security patches for all major php OSS systems), puts you in the position of having to avoid customisation as you then won't be able to apply new critical patches, and presents your coders with often unnecessarily complex and convoluted coding methods that actually slow things down.

Now what shall he do. Should he customize an existing Open Source project or make the project from scratch?

Answer 1

This depends on what you find out there. There really is no right answer.

If you find something that meets all or most of your requirements and you are able to invest the time learning the code and supporting documentation, then using an existing project should be fine.

If you start from scratch, you are able to build the application however you want (including choosing the platform/technology/language to use) and can document things as you go along. It will also be easier to customize and extend when necessary.

It definitely won't hurt to look around.