What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the 'Nothing' option in Kotlin?

In Kotlin, Nothing is a special type that indicates the absence of a value and is used for functions that never return a result (e.g., always throw an exception or run infinitely).

Advantages:

• Allows the compiler to understand that the function will not return control, improving code analysis.
• Used to mark points where the program terminates or an exception is thrown.
• Helps in the type system, for example, in when expressions to cover all cases.

Disadvantages:

• Can be confusing for beginners due to its specificity.
• Not used as a regular type, so it is not suitable for storing values or parameters.

Example:

fun fail(message: String): Nothing {
    throw IllegalStateException(message)
}

fun example(x: Int) {
    when(x) {
        1 -> println("One")
        2 -> println("Two")
        else -> fail("Unsupported number")
    }
}