So it's not the modern C++ features that cause the yak-shaving, but wanting to use these features on a RHEL6 instance with a compiler that does not support these modern features.
I'm specifically stating this (obvious observation), because the headline might lead someone to believe that the features are at fault. The features are great and should considerably reduce yak shaving.
Going a step further, we've all been there. I once spent weeks building STLPort and boost, so I could avoid re-writing and extending an existing project against a C++ compiler from 2006, and more importantly, the WinCE 6.0 API (with weird timers and everything - ugh), and use a kind-of portable, recent version of C++, with extended features. I deeply questioned every single professional decision I had made the prior years. This had nothing to do with yak-shaving, but with how much platform-specific code you would end up prior to C++11, and how much simple, every-day functionality you had to write again and again. C++11 and later are a huge leap in this regard IMO, and for everyone stuck with an old compiler: Consider using boost.
I'm specifically stating this (obvious observation), because the headline might lead someone to believe that the features are at fault. The features are great and should considerably reduce yak shaving.
Going a step further, we've all been there. I once spent weeks building STLPort and boost, so I could avoid re-writing and extending an existing project against a C++ compiler from 2006, and more importantly, the WinCE 6.0 API (with weird timers and everything - ugh), and use a kind-of portable, recent version of C++, with extended features. I deeply questioned every single professional decision I had made the prior years. This had nothing to do with yak-shaving, but with how much platform-specific code you would end up prior to C++11, and how much simple, every-day functionality you had to write again and again. C++11 and later are a huge leap in this regard IMO, and for everyone stuck with an old compiler: Consider using boost.