> Best example are C++ stdlib classes like std::vector. Sometimes you just need a trivial growable array implemented in a few dozen lines of code, but std::vector pulls in roughly 20kloc of code into each compilation unit, and only if you're very lucky the compiler will condense this down to the same few dozen lines of actually needed code (the fabled "zero cost abstraction").
This is actually a very poor and ill-thought example. C++'s standard template library is expected to provide generic components that are flexible enough to meet practically all conceivable usecases, so that they meet anyone and everyone's needs.
This, obviously, means it supports way more usecases than the naive implementation you can whip out with "a few dozen lines of code".
There are very good reasons why everyone just picks up std::vector over any other implementation, and only extremely rare edge cases (like stuff that sits in the hot path of some games) ever justify using something exotic.
This is actually a very poor and ill-thought example. C++'s standard template library is expected to provide generic components that are flexible enough to meet practically all conceivable usecases, so that they meet anyone and everyone's needs.
This, obviously, means it supports way more usecases than the naive implementation you can whip out with "a few dozen lines of code".
There are very good reasons why everyone just picks up std::vector over any other implementation, and only extremely rare edge cases (like stuff that sits in the hot path of some games) ever justify using something exotic.