check_error seems to be used to address at least a couple scenarios :

• to specify debug assertions (extra checks that catch run-time errors, and that can be compiled out depending on the debug level) - to specify run-time errors which a client (of the method that contains the check_error statement) could choose to ignore or recover from.

we need to have at least 2 versions of check_error (a second one could be called check_runtime_error), where the second one will throw an exception that the client can choose to ignore/recover from. we need to go through the code and classify all the calls to check_error (is it an irrecoverable failure? or a run-time error?) appropriately.

Mike : let's discuss briefly in some more detail when you're ready to tackle this. - Javier