"If you wrote one yourself for a particular problem, it would not have this issue. This is actually a great example of where C excels because the choice of sort

"If you wrote one yourself for a particular problem, it would not have this issue. This is actually a great example of where C excels because the choice of sorting algorithm so much depends on the kind of data you are sorting." Did I get it right that you argue for re-implementation in every of your apps of some sorting algorithm which is most fit to your data? Why not use instead a generic library implementing a particular sorting algorithm parameterized by the data type and maybe by some policies specifying minor variations of the algorithm? "Let me be clear about my claim: tailor made solutions to each problem will almost always be faster than generic solutions. Do you really disagree with that?" I do. I don't think even you invent a special sorting algorithm for each of your applications that need sorting.