This actually reminds me of the part of "In the Beginning Was the Command Line..." where Stephenson points out that more powerful tools are more difficult to us

This actually reminds me of the part of "In the Beginning Was the Command Line..." where Stephenson points out that more powerful tools are more difficult to use but also give you more control. Using a less smart compiler is harder, but it gives you more control, and is less likely to blow up on you.