[Clam-devel] throw specifications

[Dirk Griffioen]

Hi,

I'd like to make a small remark about the throw-specifiactions: I think 
they should be avoided (and if possible, removed).

As Herb Sutter writes:  http://www.gotw.ca/gotw/082.htm:


*4.* When is it worth it to write exception specifications on functions? 
Why would you choose to write one, or why not?

In brief, don't bother. Even experts don't bother.

Slightly less briefly, the major issues are:

    Exception specifications can cause surprising performance hits, for
    example if the compiler turns off inlining for functions with
    exception specifications.

    A runtime unexpected() error is not always what you want to have
    happen for the kinds of mistakes that exception specifications are
    meant to catch.

    You generally can't write useful exception specifications for
    function templates anyway because you generally can't tell what the
    types they operate on might throw.

For more, see for example the Boost exception specification rationale 
available via http://www.gotw.ca/publications/xc++s/boost_es.htm (it 
summarizes to "Don't!").


So would it be okay if I remove them as I see them?

Best, Dirk



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.clam-project.org/pipermail/clam-devel-clam-project.org/attachments/20090518/1c3effeb/attachment.html>