C++98 contained some provisions for that ("export template"), but anecdotally there is exactly one compiler that supports it and the whole mechanisms was found

C++98 contained some provisions for that ("export template"), but anecdotally there is exactly one compiler that supports it and the whole mechanisms was found to cause more problems than it solves. See: http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2003/n1426.pdf http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2003/n142... Problem with template instantiation is that the mechanism is too general to be amendable to some kind of meaningful precomputation.