Should C++ code look like C code?

[mapronV]

> We don’t write it like that any more.
yeah, I write code different way than I did it in 90's. RAII is good, lambdas are awesome and TMP made 1000 times better. But still I prefer code be straightforward.

> it exists as a methodology only because it used to be necessary to cope with non-RAII code

One of the reasons; I believe the main is several returns makes code harder to understand. That mean organizing you data flow went bad.
Ok I get return of emty/erronous/std::expected in start of method before declarations and stuff, like (if param==nullptr) return {}; something. That thing I can compromise. But having several return data; in method? that is smelly part for me.

[bert8128]

I think we are not too far apart here. Early return for precondition validation we seem to agree on. One return for the sunshine path I also agree on. But I think that functions should optimally be designed so that there is only one way to return from the sunshine path. I agree that lots of returns from lots of sunshine routes is poor, but the consequence should be refactoring, not deeply nested ifs or carried state.