I have been wasting 6 hours yesterday on getting the bullet examples to compile outside of bullet itself with no success. It's more likely that a lot of software simply doesn't get written because C++ and CMake are a pain in the ass.
I find CMake pretty easy, and I only use a few core features from it. Usually the pain comes from completely wrong setups by people who didn't learn the basic. But it's true of everything, I think.
