[erik_seaberg]

C++ relies heavily on error handling using out-of-band exceptions. f(g(h())) needs h and g to return meaningful values rather than errors, constructors can't return errors at all, and member initializer lists can't check for returned errors.

You could make a dialect in which every method returns an error and every object has an init(...) method instead of a ctor, but it would be closer to imperative VB than idiomatic and readable C++.