diff --git a/config.cpp b/config.cpp
index 5c124c1..fb9446d 100644
--- a/config.cpp
+++ b/config.cpp
@@ -13,17 +13,17 @@
 
 static FILE* fopen_or_raise(const char* path, const char* mode, bool ignore_enoent) {
     FILE* file = fopen(path, mode);
-    if (file || (ignore_enoent && errno == ENOENT)) {
-        return file;
+    if (!file && !(ignore_enoent && errno == ENOENT)) {
+        throw_system_error(std::string("fopen(") + quote(path) + ')');
     }
-    throw make_system_error(std::string("fopen(") + quote(path) + ')');
+    return file;
 }
 
 static void fclose_and_log(FILE* file) {
     if (!fclose(file)) {
         return;
     }
-    log(std::string("Failed to close a file: ") + make_system_error("fclose()").what());
+    log(std::string("Failed to close a file: fclose(): ") + strerror(errno));
 }
 
 static bool write(const std::string& ptr, FILE* file) {
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ void create_config_folders_if_necessary() {
         if (errno == EEXIST) {
             continue;
         }
-        throw make_system_error(std::string("mkdir(") + quote(path) + ')');
+        throw_system_error(std::string("mkdir(") + quote(path) + ')');
     }
 }
 
@@ -141,15 +141,13 @@ static inline Config load_config(FILE* file) {
     while (true) {
         errno = 0;
         if (getline(&line, &line_capacity_size, file) < 0) {
+            // https://stackoverflow.com/questions/30569981/does-free-set-errno
             int errsv = errno;
             free(line);
-            if (errsv == ENOMEM) {
-                throw std::bad_alloc();
-            } else if (errsv != 0) {
-                throw make_system_error(errsv, "getline()");
-            } else {
-                break;
+            if (errsv) {
+                throw_system_error(errsv, "getline()");
             }
+            break;
         }
         if (line_capacity_size == 0 || line[0] == '\0' || line[0] == '#') {
             continue;
@@ -221,5 +219,5 @@ void write_config(const Config& config) {
     if (!rename(tmp_config_file_path.c_str(), config_file_path.c_str())) {
         return;
     }
-    throw make_system_error(std::string("rename(") + quote(tmp_config_file_path) + ", " + quote(config_file_path) + ')');
+    throw_system_error(std::string("rename(") + quote(tmp_config_file_path) + ", " + quote(config_file_path) + ')');
 }
diff --git a/logcat_thread.cpp b/logcat_thread.cpp
index 531c94c..f8e906b 100644
--- a/logcat_thread.cpp
+++ b/logcat_thread.cpp
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+#include <cstring>
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <sys/epoll.h>
@@ -12,10 +13,10 @@
 static void mark_nonblock(int fd) {
     int flags = fcntl(fd, F_GETFL);
     if (flags < 0) {
-        throw make_system_error("fcntl(fd, F_GETFL)");
+        throw_system_error("fcntl(fd, F_GETFL)");
     }
     if (!(flags & O_NONBLOCK) && fcntl(fd, F_SETFL, flags | O_NONBLOCK) == -1) {
-        throw make_system_error("fcntl(fd, F_SETFL)");
+        throw_system_error("fcntl(fd, F_SETFL)");
     }
 }
 
@@ -25,9 +26,9 @@ LogcatThread::LogcatThread(bool* run_event_loop) {
     struct epoll_event event = {.events = EPOLLIN | EPOLLET};
 
     if (pipe(fds)) {
-        std::system_error e = make_system_error("pipe() for stdout");
+        int errsv = errno;
         this->~LogcatThread();
-        throw e;
+        throw_system_error(errsv, "pipe() for stdout");
     }
     this->_stdout_read_fd = fds[0];
     this->_stdout_write_fd = fds[1];
@@ -39,9 +40,9 @@ LogcatThread::LogcatThread(bool* run_event_loop) {
     }
 
     if (pipe(fds)) {
-        std::system_error e = make_system_error("pipe() for stderr");
+        int errsv = errno;
         this->~LogcatThread();
-        throw e;
+        throw_system_error(errsv, "pipe() for stderr");
     }
     this->_stderr_read_fd = fds[0];
     this->_stderr_write_fd = fds[1];
@@ -54,19 +55,21 @@ LogcatThread::LogcatThread(bool* run_event_loop) {
 
     this->_epoll_fd = epoll_create1(EPOLL_CLOEXEC);
     if (this->_epoll_fd == -1) {
-        throw make_system_error("epoll_create1()");
+        int errsv = errno;
+        this->~LogcatThread();
+        throw_system_error(errsv, "epoll_create1()");
     }
     event.data.fd = this->_stdout_read_fd;
     if (epoll_ctl(this->_epoll_fd, EPOLL_CTL_ADD, this->_stdout_read_fd, &event)) {
-        std::system_error e = make_system_error("epoll_ctl() for stdout");
+        int errsv = errno;
         this->~LogcatThread();
-        throw e;
+        throw_system_error(errsv, "epoll_ctl() for stdout");
     }
     event.data.fd = this->_stderr_read_fd;
     if (epoll_ctl(this->_epoll_fd, EPOLL_CTL_ADD, this->_stderr_read_fd, &event)) {
-        std::system_error e = make_system_error("epoll_ctl() for stderr");
+        int errsv = errno;
         this->~LogcatThread();
-        throw e;
+        throw_system_error(errsv, "epoll_ctl() for stderr");
     }
 
     this->_thread = std::thread(&LogcatThread::_run, this, run_event_loop);
@@ -74,19 +77,19 @@ LogcatThread::LogcatThread(bool* run_event_loop) {
 
 LogcatThread::~LogcatThread() {
     if (this->_epoll_fd != -1 && close(this->_epoll_fd)) {
-        log(std::string("Failed to close epoll file descriptor: ") + make_system_error("close()").what());
+        log(std::string("Failed to close epoll file descriptor: close(): ") + strerror(errno));
     }
     if (this->_stdout_read_fd != -1 && close(this->_stdout_read_fd)) {
-        log(std::string("Failed to close stdout read pipe: ") + make_system_error("close()").what());
+        log(std::string("Failed to close stdout read pipe: close(): ") + strerror(errno));
     }
     if (this->_stdout_write_fd != -1 && close(this->_stdout_write_fd)) {
-        log(std::string("Failed to close stdout write pipe: ") + make_system_error("close()").what());
+        log(std::string("Failed to close stdout write pipe: close(): ") + strerror(errno));
     }
     if (this->_stderr_read_fd != -1 && close(this->_stderr_read_fd)) {
-        log(std::string("Failed to close stderr read pipe: ") + make_system_error("close()").what());
+        log(std::string("Failed to close stderr read pipe: close(): ") + strerror(errno));
     }
     if (this->_stderr_write_fd != -1 && close(this->_stderr_write_fd)) {
-        log(std::string("Failed to close stderr write pipe: ") + make_system_error("close()").what());
+        log(std::string("Failed to close stderr write pipe: close(): ") + strerror(errno));
     }
 }
 
@@ -101,7 +104,7 @@ void LogcatThread::_run(bool* run_event_loop) {
         printf("(boop)\n");
         int ready_fds = epoll_wait(this->_epoll_fd, events, EPOLL_MAX_EVENTS, 1000);
         if (ready_fds == -1) {
-            printf("%s\n", format_log(make_system_error("epoll_wait()").what()).c_str());
+            printf("%s\n", format_log(std::string("epoll_wait(): ") + strerror(errno)).c_str());
             break;
         }
 
diff --git a/misc.cpp b/misc.cpp
index ed4a702..6da5a7a 100644
--- a/misc.cpp
+++ b/misc.cpp
@@ -10,18 +10,24 @@ std::string quote(const std::string& str) {
     return ss.str();
 }
 
-std::system_error make_system_error(int err, const char* what) {
-    return std::system_error(err, std::generic_category(), what);
+void throw_system_error(int err, const char* what) {
+    if (err == ENOMEM) {
+        throw std::bad_alloc();
+    }
+    throw std::system_error(err, std::generic_category(), what);
 }
 
-std::system_error make_system_error(int err, std::string what) {
-    return std::system_error(err, std::generic_category(), std::move(what));
+void throw_system_error(int err, std::string what) {
+    if (err == ENOMEM) {
+        throw std::bad_alloc();
+    }
+    throw std::system_error(err, std::generic_category(), std::move(what));
 }
 
-std::system_error make_system_error(const char* what) {
-    return make_system_error(errno, what);
+void throw_system_error(const char* what) {
+    throw_system_error(errno, what);
 }
 
-std::system_error make_system_error(std::string what) {
-    return make_system_error(errno, std::move(what));
+void throw_system_error(std::string what) {
+    throw_system_error(errno, std::move(what));
 }
diff --git a/misc.h b/misc.h
index b94f0e3..e97db12 100644
--- a/misc.h
+++ b/misc.h
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 #pragma once
 
 #include <string>
-#include <system_error>
 
 std::string quote(const std::string& str);
-std::system_error make_system_error(int err, const char* what);
-std::system_error make_system_error(int err, std::string what);
-std::system_error make_system_error(const char* what);
-std::system_error make_system_error(std::string what);
+void throw_system_error(int err, const char* what);
+void throw_system_error(const char* what);
+void throw_system_error(std::string what);