Indeed. If someone suggested writing a custom stream parser for something as simple as scanned images today, I'd point them right back at the wide array of off-

Indeed. If someone suggested writing a custom stream parser for something as simple as scanned images today, I'd point them right back at the wide array of off-the-shelf, standardized solutions. Sure, a good programmer can learn this stuff. But they shouldn't have to, not these days. There's far more to programming than any one person could ever learn. Choose your battles.