Thanks @AndrewAMD for a rather more substantive reply.

But it conflates ideas with structure to implement ideas. This has been used endlessly to justify reinventing the wheel, spaghetti code, maintenance nightmares, guaranteed employment ( ), etc. Template(s) have been one way to fight this, as well as make life easier...

I have too much respect for @jcl to believe that after over a decade of doing this he hasn't found & specified that his hired guns need to use something better than the Wild, Wild West - but if there isn't or he'd rather not share, so be it.

Regards to all!