I have to wonder: why did you think reversing tradition was a good idea in this (specific) case?

Again, because I have made a couple of idioms out of this, so there is always this way of filling in a parameter and handle error returns.

This might be a basic brain difference -- some people read code from left-to-right religiously on a line. I guess you are one of those. Others of us don't.

I don't know why that isn't so important for me, at least in this case. Since I align the right side test, I can see directly from the shape of the code where the initing/error handling is done. If I can handle natural languages with irregular verbs, I can handle this idiom.

It took me quite a while before I ever wrote with postfix if, because I was "C-damaged". (I'm not claiming you're too C/java-damaged -- I just think it is different wiring of brain visual centers, or something.)

(Hmm.. maybe I should change habit to make it easier for you people that hate that..? :-( )