Can I just trade in my exceptions for Maybe or Either? It's already possible to do both of these things, the trouble is that I have to use other people's code that uses exceptions.
Except the C++ dragon rears its head. How do you build an intelligent Maybe or Either type in C++? Should they be value types containing unions? You can’t use “non-trivial” types in unions till C++11, and a lot of people haven’t yet upgraded. Referential types with dynamic allocation? How do you transfer ownership? Are “Left” and “Right” subtypes of “Either”? It’s ridiculous.
To you, to me, but not to most C++ users. Yeah, these types should be in a library, but that’s not the point. A programmer shouldn’t have to be on par with the Boost writers to make something this conceptually simple. I’ve used C++ as my primary language for years and only now can I speak with authority on the finer points of the language. It’s quite powerful, but so unpleasant.