I know better than the compiler how my data is used. It is really simple as that. I can optimize with the totality of the program in mind while the compiler optimizes on heuristic like `order largest to smallest`. So yes, the compiler is doing it sub-optimally. Not to mention the repetitious hell it creates when writing C bindings, or memory-mapping structures, and so on and so forth.
In the end, however, my reservations are mostly due to a "get off my lawn" mentality.
Only when the difference in performance is end-user discernible. I do make sure the code is well crafted in those bounds though. There's no _valid_ excuse for crafting ugly code.
Coincidently my stuffed toy that I have kept throughout my childhood was named "Mel the Pal." I just noticed the irony of that. :)
In the end, however, my reservations are mostly due to a "get off my lawn" mentality.