I don't write software that is used by the masses, so I have the luxury of not needing maximum compatibility. If it works on the machines the company needs, then it's good enough. I get that some of the heavy weight libraries offer not only the speed of immediate working availability with "battle" tested compatibility (thinking web/javascript libraries specifically). However, I like learning. I like understanding why things work, or more importantly why something didn't work. If that means I have to re-learn something others already know, then so be it (that's what learning is).
