Ok I know the software-today-is-so-bloated trope is overplayed but... "the UNIX way"? The compiled Linux x86_64 binary is 7 megabytes. All of System V combined was not that big.
SVR4 came out 30 years ago. I think it's time to let it go.
I hear that representing the absence of value as a number was invented about 6000 years ago, perhaps we should abandon that as antiquated as well..
also, to wit, a Unix kernel of recent vintage:
$ uname -msr
OpenBSD 6.3 amd64
$ du -skc bsd.rd bsd
9664 bsd.rd
12912 bsd
22576 total
vs, say, a Linux kernel of recent vintage: $ uname -msr
Linux 4.9.0-8-amd64 x86_64
$ du -skc /boot/vmlinuz-4.9.0-8-amd64 /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-8-amd64 /lib/modules/4.9.0-8-amd64
4152 /boot/vmlinuz-4.9.0-8-amd64
21616 /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-8-amd64
212248 /lib/modules/4.9.0-8-amd64
238016 total
yes, there are likely more drivers in the latter.
highly doubt there is an order of magnitude more though.not to mention some 'modern' npm+webpack monstrosity.
that said, given the latter, i can hardly fault a <10Mb go executable as 'excessive', so you're right on that front.