returprogrammers
Returprogrammers is a term used to describe practitioners who focus on designing software around function return values. The concept treats the return value as the primary contract between a function and its caller, encompassing both success results and error information. Returprogramming stresses explicit return types, predictable control flow, and reduced reliance on exceptions or global state.
Origin and usage: The term arose in online programming communities in the 2010s to discuss type-based error
Core concepts include explicit return types, result-oriented error handling, and composable function pipelines. Common tools are
Applications and practices: API design that communicates success and failure through returns; testing and contracts focused
Community and critique: Returprogrammers are active in functional programming communities and code libraries; some critics argue
See also: functional programming, API design, error handling, Result type, Either, railway-oriented programming.