What is the difference between handling exceptions and using error suppression (@ operator)?

Handling exceptions with try-catch provides a structured and controlled way to deal with errors, allowing you to log, recover, or gracefully terminate the script. The error suppression operator (@) simply hides the error message, but doesn't address the underlying problem. Using @ is generally discouraged as it can mask critical issues and make debugging difficult. Try-catch is the preferred method for robust error handling.