Option(al) Is Not a Failure - With Phil Nash

Special guest Phil Nash will be giving us a preview of his new talk "Option(al) Is Not a Failure" for C++Now 2018

Error code returns were bad so we invented exceptions. Much better we said.
Then we realised exceptions had their problems - with whole domains outlawing their use altogether. We've been trying to patch them up how we can (with noexcept, for example) - but most of the problems are systemic.

So there's a return to error codes. But now we have new features in the language (arithmetic data types, including variant and optional) - and the promise of more coming (expected, outcome?) - that bring us closer to the best of both worlds, with almost none of the downsides. While the vocabulary types are important, we don't need to wait for them - and the more experience we gain with these approaches the better - especially as std::expected gets locked down, Boost.Outcome goes through final reviews.

But there's more. Where do error_code and error_condition fit in? What's all this about monadic binding? What about pattern matching? Do/ try syntax with a keyword? What do other languages that are further down this road do and what can we learn from them?

This talk will be a tour of the past, present, and possible future of C++ error handling, the trade-offs and rationale for each piece and a discussion of where to go next and what we can do as a community to get there.

Note that, while technical, this is Big Picture - with lots of jumping off points for other talks and materials that are deep dives on individual components and techniques.