Playful aproaches like this
http://www.musl-libc.org/
I'm not talking cool, like a major server OS.
Cool, like fun to use. I've always enjoyed minimalist systems and suckless tools.
While many projects will never be suitable for professional use, they are interesting to learn and develope on.
The limitations of modern demands is often due to taking away of correctness for faster development and inclussion of bulky tools. "Better method" or "correctness" is often defined by the requirements at hand. I appreciate the hacks still putting out lean clean systems and tools.