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So, I've seen circuit boards with ground planes before, but what I don't quite understand is: why are the holes that are connected to the ground plane connected

So, I've seen circuit boards with ground planes before, but what I don't quite understand is: why are the holes that are connected to the ground plane connected by two small traces (i.e., are surrounded by two C-shaped cut-outs), instead of just being drilled directly into a solid, uninterrupted ground plane?

farns 6y ago
It is to make the soldering process easier and faster by increasing the thermal resistance between the pin and the large metal of the gnd plane. If the gnd pins were sunk into the ground plane directly, the assembler would have to leave the solder iron in place longer, which would heat up more area, and possibly cause damage to the nearby parts.