encoding/gob: handle errors

[alberts]

What steps will reproduce the problem?

gob.Register(errors.New("")) returns gob: type errors.errorString has no
exported fields

Please provide any additional information below.

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!topic/golang-dev/Cua1Av1J8Nc

[dsymonds]

Comment 1:

http://golang.org/cl/5844059 is ready for post-Go 1.

Labels changed: added priority-later, removed priority-triage.

Owner changed to @dsymonds.

Status changed to Started.

[alberts]

Comment 2:

After thinking about it more, registering error types with gob is probably an endless
black pit of despair, so we probably don't want to unduly enable anyone that wants to go
down it.

[robpike]

Comment 3:

Since error is a predeclared type, prima facie it doesn't seem unreasonable to support
them in gob directly. It would be easy to send a string and call errors.New(s) on the
receiving side. It may even be possible to do better, like ask if the type can GobEncode
itself first.
Worth thinking about and addressing carefully, if at all. GobEncode in the errors
package is not the answer.

[alberts]

Comment 4:

One additional issue to think about carefully is whether things like Temporary and
Timeout should work on both sides of the connection.

[rsc]

Comment 5:

Labels changed: added go1.1maybe.

[rsc]

Comment 6:

Removing 'Started' and renaming summary, since we've established that the errors package
is not where we want to make the change, if anywhere.

Owner changed to ---.

Status changed to Accepted.

[robpike]

Comment 7:

Labels changed: removed go1.1maybe.

[rsc]

Comment 8:

Labels changed: added go1.2maybe.

[rsc]

Comment 9:

Labels changed: added feature.

[robpike]

Comment 10:

Too scary to do this close to release. Plan for 1.3.

Labels changed: added go1.3, removed go1.2maybe.

[robpike]

Comment 11:

Labels changed: removed go1.3.

[rsc]

Comment 12:

Issue #6467 has been merged into this issue.

[robpike]

Comment 13:

I don't see the relationship between 6467 and this bug (3353). The newer one is just
asking for a wording change in a message; this one is asking for a change in how errors
are transcoded.

[rsc]

Comment 14:

Unmerged, sorry. I was reading quickly and misunderstood the subject.

[rsc]

Comment 15:

Labels changed: added go1.3maybe.

[rsc]

Comment 16:

Labels changed: removed feature.

[rsc]

Comment 17:

Labels changed: added release-none, removed go1.3maybe.

[rsc]

Comment 18:

Labels changed: added repo-main.

[agnivade]

Duplicate of #23340.