herr_shield

I fully agree. In my personal project, I ended up using the STL to get off the ground, but in the end I replaced pretty much everything with custom-written code.

Once you get rid of the STL, compile times get so much better. With modern c++23 features, templates actually become really convenient to write, and at the core there is a really useful and pleasant to use language.

I try to avoid c++ libraries and instead rely on c-style APIs. Usually the c++ style libraries force you into using the STL, which comes with a heavy tax on compile times, without much benefit in comfort of use.

I have come to the same conclusion for a tracker that I am working on that is targeting the steam deck.

I designed an instruction set that is reasonably convenient to input via the gamepad controllers. Instead of typing, one selects instructions and operands from lists of options. It's surprisingly fluid to input and this makes it impossible to input invalid programs.