Well, there are actually several reasons, but the most important ones are listed here.

Bad code

I used to work in an environment where I had to maintain source code containing C functions, spanning 2000 lines. One or two such functions would not really have bothered me, as I would simply conclude that the code was done under pressure, and a re-factor was in order. The problem here though, was the 37 near duplicate functions each spanning said 2000 lines of code.

At one point, I was convinced that this kind of code, was a result of incompetent developers in that environment. I was partially correct, in that there were developers that were incompetent. However, this was a reflection of management and the prevailing employment strategies, as well as a non-existent internal communication structure.

It was the kind of environment, where non-technical people were placed in senior technical positions, resulting in decisions around tooling being made by people who never use the tools.

Sadly, I'm not exaggerating. If I were, I'd probably still be working in that environment.

In short though, it was the typical Waterfall development, perpetuated by a poor implementation of the Rational Unified Process, where hamstrung project-managers had no choice but to pester hamstrung developers into hacking a 15 year old, poorly designed system, so as to provide the appearance of valuable solutions to the business.

KISSCPP is the culmination of frustration and experience, into a library that will make it possible for developers at large corporates, to deliver re-factored components, at a fraction of the cost of maintaining old ones.

Yes, the system will have to be re-designed to make use of KISSCPP, but the cost would be ridiculously low compared to maintaining a system like the one I had to deal with.

Development speed

Over the years I've had to listen to the "My language is better than yours" debate, one too many times. The more I listened to these debates, the more I realized that there are several types of Software Developers.

1. Those that don't know.

   These are the ones, that are just starting out. They are totally new to the industry and can be forgiven almost anything.

2. Those that think they know.

   These are the ones that will blindly stick to a single programming language/ tool/methodology/paradigm etc. They will happily argue that a business will only need the tool they happen to be proficient in. They are also the kind of developer that will argue, that Delphi is a programming language and PHP is fast enough to be used as a tool for creating a database cache service.

3. Those that know.

   These are the ones that actually get qualified in multiple programming languages, using diverse paradigms. They are the ones that will convince a business of the need for a multitude of tools and skills to manage it's own software. They will prescribe PHP for the web requirements, Java for business components, C++ for the components that feel the need for speed, C for those that feel the need for warp speed, assembler for trans-warp speeds and machine code for instantaneous teleportation.

There is a particular kind of the "Think they know" developer, that I aim to address, using the KISSCPP library. They are the ones who argue, that getting something done in C++ takes too much development effort. With the release of KISSCPP and the various applications that use it, I aim to demonstrate just how fast one can develop in C++, when you are willing to standardise your development and/or design.

The only advantage a programming language like Java has over C++, is that JAVA developers have been forced to standardise their solutions.

KISSCPP is a step in that direction, for C++ developers.