Re: [boost] Boost.Outcome review - First questions

Subject: Re: [boost] Boost.Outcome review - First questions
From: Emil Dotchevski (emildotchevski_at_[hidden])
Date: 2017-05-23 16:52:56

On Tue, May 23, 2017 at 7:37 AM, Niall Douglas via Boost <
boost_at_[hidden]> wrote:

> You could wholly replace all usage of C++ exceptions with Outcome
> without losing fidelity of error information.
>
> (I wouldn't advise that you should, but you can)
>
> You would thus exchange (slightly) worse performance of successful code
> in exchange for vastly better and predictable performance of
> unsuccessful code.

I keep seeing the assertion that C++ exceptions create performance problems
but I am yet to see actual data to support it. Not a simple toy case but an
actual program that was shown to be slow when using exceptions, that issue
couldn't be fixed otherwise and the solution was to not use exceptions.

Practically speaking exception handling overhead occurs only at function
entry and exit. It disappears in thin air (all of it) by simply inlining
the function, which would be done in performance-critical parts of the code
anyway (and MSVC, whose exception handling overhead is probably the worst,
can inline functions even at link time.)

So I must ask: what is the practical problem solved by not using exceptions
in general and Outcome in particular? It seems to me this is driven by a
design preference for one coding style over another, which is fine, but
nobody seems to be having that discussion. The cost of not using exceptions
is that we're throwing away the ability to enforce postconditions. What's
the upside?

Emil