Hi,

This is my test-code, a simple program which creates a second thread and terminates it after 5 seconds with pthread_exit. (at least in theory)

Code: 
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <pthread.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <cxxabi.h>

class MyClass {
    public: MyClass() {printf("MyClass\n"); };
            ~MyClass() {printf("~MyClass\n"); };
};

extern "C" void *newThread(void *arg) {
    MyClass test;
    try {
        while(1) {
            printf("thread\n");
            sleep(5);
            printf("sleep done - pthread_exit\n");
            pthread_exit(NULL);
        }
#ifdef BETTER
    } catch (abi::__forced_unwind&) {
        printf("foreced unwind\n");
        throw;
#endif
    } catch (const char *s) {
        printf("exception s=%s\n",s);
    } catch (...) {
        printf("exception da\n");
    }
    printf("thread end\n");
    return NULL;
}

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    pthread_t th_test;
    if(pthread_create(&th_test, NULL /* const pthread_attr_t *attr */, &newThread, NULL) ) {
        printf("error\n");
    }

    sleep(16);
    printf("exit\n");
}
let's compile it with:
g++ pthread_exit.cpp -lpthread
Code: 
> ./a.out
MyClass
thread
sleep done - pthread_exit
exception da
FATAL: exception not rethrown
Abgebrochen
the program aborts in the line
} catch (...) {


we recompile it with -DBETTER and get:
Code: 
MyClass
thread
sleep done - pthread_exit
foreced unwind
~MyClass
exit
nice!

so we see:
  1. pthread_exit doesn't cope with catch (...)
  2. we need catch (abi::__forced_unwind&) throw; to get it work
  3. pthread_exit does stack unwinding and deletes the objects on the stack!
  4. bug: there isn't even one word about all this in man pthread_exit