[japanesejay]

Keep in mind that peter's article was from 2006. Drupal has continued to grow and it provides a lot of out of the box functionality. I think there are a lot of alternatives as Vuong has mentioned, including doing it yourself. But why not use out of the box functionality and install modules that the community has already contributed? There are ways to extend existing functionality as well.

It really depends on what you're trying to accomplish too. I've helped customize Drupal for a lot of applications, such as using it as a data aggregation server thats paired with a mobile app, video broadcast platform and yes even a groupon-esque site as well.

If you dont mind sharing what you're trying to build, I think there are a lot of people here who can chime in on your architecture/approach.