Exceptions in Java and Eiffel: Two Extremes in Exception Design and Application

Exceptions are frequently a controversial language feature with both language designers and programmers. Exceptions are controversial because they complicate language semantics—and thus program design, testing, and verification—and some programmers find them annoying or difficult to use properly. By examining two programming languages that have very different, even opposing, exception mechanisms, a set of exception principles is introduced that summarize the key semantic and social issues surrounding exceptions.