ml> let's make it even easier... just imagine creating and 
 ml> maintaining a phonebook database... how many field of 
 ml> data are there? how do you store them? what about 

Depending on preference, life's harder for those who write bottom-up or
reinvent the wheel.

Ease depends on the design & implementation.

For example it makes more sense to use an SQL database and manipulate data
using SQL than write a program in C/C++.

 ml> sorting? recall? now, let's figure out how to display 
 ml> them on screen... we'll worry about printing them 
 ml> later...

Well it depends on how many sorting and recalling library functions and
classes you're aware of that can manipulate data/objects the way you want.
Then there're things called "templates" ...

--- Maximus 3.01