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+- Feature Name: abort_by_default
+- Start Date: 2016-10-01
+- RFC PR: (leave this empty)
+- Rust Issue: (leave this empty)
+
+# Summary
+[summary]: #summary
+
+Specify abort-by-default in `Cargo.toml` when the user does `cargo new --bin`, as well as various other refinements to the panick strategy system.
+
+# Motivation
+[motivation]: #motivation
+
+## Performance
+
+Generally, the performance of bigger programs [improves by 10%](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRGb4hoGuPs), which is no small amount. When overflow checking is enabled, it is as high as 2x, making overflowing checking plausible in production.
+
+The performance gains mainly originates in the fact that it is a lot easier for the compiler to optimize, due to the unwind path disappearing, and hence reasoning about the code becomes easier.
+
+## Binary size
+
+Binary size improves by 10% as well. This is due to the lack of landing pads which are injected in the stack when unwinding is enabled.
+
+## Compile time
+
+Compile time in debug mode improves by 20% on average. In release mode, the number is around 10%.
+
+## Runtime size
+
+Unwinding requires a fair amount of runtime code, which can be seen as conflicting with the goals of Rust.
+
+## Correctness
+
+You often see people abusing `std::panic::catch_unwind` for exception handling. Forcing the user to explicitly opt in to unwinding will make it harder to unintentionally misuse it.
+
+# Detailed design
+[design]: #detailed-design
+
+First of all, we add a new possible value to the `panic` field. We call this `any`. It specifies that the library or binary is compatible with any panicking strategy. `any` will default to the `abort` strategy, if compatible with all of its dependencies. If not, it will fall back to `unwind`, and leave a warning.
+
+When `cargo new` is invoked, it will generate `panic=any` in the `Cargo.toml`, both for new libraries and new binaries.
+
+Whenever the user inteacts with `cargo` (by using a command) in an existing (binary) crate and the `Cargo.toml` has no specified panicking strategy, it will add `panic=unwind` and leave a note to the user:
+
+    Warning: No panic strategy was specified, added unwinding to the
+             `Cargo.toml` file, please consider change it to your needs. If
+             your crate's behavior does not depend on unwinding, please add
+             `panic=any` instead.
+
+This will not happen to libraries, since they must only rely on unwind, if the specify it. Instead, it will add `panic=any` to libraries and give warning:
+
+    Warning: No panic strategy was specified, so we default to aborting. If
+             your crate depends on unwinding, please put `panic=unwind` in
+             `Cargo.toml`.
+
+## Libraries
+
+For libraries, the `Cargo.toml` is not modified, as they inherit the strategy of the binary.
+
+### Relying on unwinding
+
+If a library specifies `panic=unwind`, it will stored in a rlib metadata field, `unwind_needed`. If this field does not match with the crate which is linking against the library (`abort`), `rustc` will produce an error.
+
+This is done in order to make sure that applications can rely on unwinding without leading to unsafety when being linked against by an aborting runtime.
+
+## Extensions
+
+After several release cycles, an extension could be added, which makes specifying the strategy mandatory.
+
+# Drawbacks
+[drawbacks]: #drawbacks
+
+It makes panics global by default (i.e., panicking in some thread will abort the whole program).
+
+It might make it tempting to ignore the existence of an unwind option and consequently shaping the code after panicking being aborting.
+
+## Unwinding is not bad per se
+
+Unwinding has numerous advantages. Especially for certain classes of applications. These includes better error handling and better cleanup.
+
+Unwinding is especially important to long-running applications.
+
+# Alternatives
+[alternatives]: #alternatives
+
+Keep unwinding as default.
+
+Make Cargo set `panic=abort` in all new binaries.
+
+Use unwind in `debug` and abort in `release`.
+
+Make use of more exotic instructions like `bound`, allowing e.g. overflow or bound checking without branches. This comes at the expense of error output.
+
+Use crate attributes instead.
+
+# Unresolved questions
+[unresolved]: #unresolved-questions
+
+Is there any way we can detect crates which do not rely on unwinding? Search for `catch_unwind`?