Should I use "if" or "try" (as a matter of speed)?

[Jorgen Grahn]

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 22:10:50 +1000, Steven D'Aprano <steve at REMOVETHIScyber.com.au> wrote:
> On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 12:15:25 +0530, Dark Cowherd wrote:
>
>> http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2003/10/13.html
>
> Joel Spolsky might be a great C++ programmer, and his advice on user
> interface design is invaluable, but Python is not C++ or Java, and his
> arguments about exceptions do not hold in Python.

Of course, his arguments do not even "hold" in C++ or Java, in the sense
that everyone should be expected to accept them. Most C++ programmers would
find his view on exceptions slightly ... exotic.

He has a point though: exceptions suck. But so do error codes. Error
handling is difficult and deadly boring.

(Then there's the debate about using exceptions for handling things that
aren't really errors, and what the term 'error' really means ...)

/Jorgen

-- 
  // Jorgen Grahn <jgrahn@       Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu
\X/                algonet.se>   R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!