If *printf is already linked in elsewhere by Lua, I guess I don't have a
big problem with this. The cost of the format interpreter is already
there. But if this is the only place where *printf is used, then I
would prefer that Lua *not* use *printf.
Those of us who work with embedded systems typically have memory
constraints we have to worry about, and the core routine that implements
the *printf family of functions can be a surprisingly huge-- both in
terms of code, and in some implementations stack and RAM usage. For
those using Lua on desktop systems, with gobs of virtualized memory,
none of this matters. For those who are trying to fit inside limited
address spaces, we cringe anytime anyone wants to link in something
large.
