title: Embedded C++ : to use exceptions or not?
body: <p>I realize this may be subjective, so will ask a concrete question, but first, background:  </p>
  
  <p>I have always been an embedded software engineer, but usually at Layer 3 or 2 of the OSI stack. I am not really a hardware guy. I have generally always done telecoms products, usually hand/cell-phones, which generally means something like an ARM 7 processor.</p>
  
  <p>Now I find myself in a more generic embedded world, in a small start-up, where I might move to "not so powerful" processors (there's the subjective bit) - I cannot predict which.</p>
  
  <p>I have read quite a bit about debate about exception handling in C++ in embedded systems and there is no clear cut answer. There are some small worries about portability and a few about run-time, but it mostly seems to come down to code size (or am i reading the wrong debates?).</p>
  
  <p>Now I have to make the decision whether to use or forego exception handling - for the whole company, for ever (it's going into some very core s/w).</p>
  
  <p>That may sound like "how long is a piece of string", but someone might reply "if your piece of string is an 8051, then don't. If, OTOH, it is ...".</p>
  
  <p>Which way do I jump? Super-safe &amp; lose a good feature, or exceptional code and maybe run into problems later?</p>