[lelanthran]

> From a compiler perspective, using a function makes the most sense, since that fits into the existing control-flow analysis that the compiler will do. Pragmas are processed by the pre-processor, so they aren't appropriate for expressing control flow hints.

This seems par for the course for all C++ stuff: it's designed from a compiler perspective, not from a programmer perspective.

The correct way, IMHO, is to design features that supports the user's workflow, not to design the same feature in a way to make the compiler's job easier.

> `htonl` are not standardized, so they were not part of the C++ standard library.

They're POSIX standardised. The decision should have been to adopt something that exists in an existing and widespread standard rather than the worrisome not-invented-here syndrome that I see here.