IMHO the greatest inventions are those of the highest utility relative to cost of implementation. Such inventions usually arise from tenaciously scratching a pa

IMHO the greatest inventions are those of the highest utility relative to cost of implementation. Such inventions usually arise from tenaciously scratching a particularly bothersome itch. For example, I've seen many Scala programmers struggle with achieving maximal type safety due to getting bogged down in boilerplate. To attack this problem (as I see it anyway, but that's all which matters for now) I'm researching ways of utilizing Scala macros to cut down on such boilerplate while retaining type safety. This has been huge for my own side work (which means the utility is definitely there), but I'm still uncertain as to the cost, i.e. what effects my approach might have on a "serious" commercial project. I'm just going to have to find out the old fashioned way.