Does using large libraries inherently make slower code?

Question

I have a psychological tic which makes me reluctant to use large libraries (like GLib or Boost) in lower-level languages like C and C++. In my mind, I think:

Answer 1

I can't comment on GLib, but keep in mind that a lot of the code in Boost is header-only and given the C++ principle of the user only paying for what they're using, the libraries are pretty efficient. There are several libraries that require you to link against them (regex, filesystem come to mind) but they're separate libraries. With Boost you do not link against a large monolithic library but only against the smaller components that you do use.

Of course, the other question is - what is the alternative? Do you want to implement the functionality that is in Boost yourself when you need it? Given that a lot of very competent people have worked on this code and ensured that it works across a multitude of compilers and still is efficient, this might not exactly be a simple undertaking. Plus you're reinventing the wheel, at least to a certain extent. IMHO you can spend this time more productively.