return() versus pthread_exit() in pthread start functions

The following program shows that we can use return or pthread_exit to return a void* variable that is available to pthread_join's status variable.

1. Should there be a preference for using one over the other?

2. Why does using return work? Normally we think of return putting a value on the stack but since the thread is completed the stack should vanish. Or does the stack not get destroyed until after pthread_join?

3. In your work, do you see much use of the status variable? It seems 90% of the code I see just NULLs out the status parameter. Since anything changed via the void* ptr is already reflected in the calling thread there doesn't seem much point to returning it. Any new void* ptr returned would have to point to something malloced by the start thread, which leaves the receiving thread with the responsibility to dispose of it. Am I wrong in thinking the status variable is semi-pointless?

Here is the code:

#include <iostream>
#include <pthread.h>

using namespace std;

struct taskdata
{
       int  x;
     float  y;
    string  z;
};


void* task1(void *data)
{
    taskdata *t = (taskdata *) data;

    t->x += 25;
    t->y -= 4.5;
    t->z = "Goodbye";

    return(data);
}

void* task2(void *data)
{
    taskdata *t = (taskdata *) data;

    t->x -= 25;
    t->y += 4.5;
    t->z = "World";

    pthread_exit(data);
}


int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    pthread_t threadID;

    taskdata t = {10, 10.0, "Hello"};

    void *status;

    cout << "before " << t.x << " " << t.y << " " << t.z << endl;

    //by return()

    pthread_create(&threadID, NULL, task1, (void *) &t);

    pthread_join(threadID, &status);

    taskdata *ts = (taskdata *) status;

    cout << "after task1 " << ts->x << " " << ts->y << " " << ts->z << endl;

    //by pthread_exit()

    pthread_create(&threadID, NULL, task2, (void *) &t);

    pthread_join(threadID, &status);

    ts = (taskdata *) status;

    cout << "after task2 " << ts->x << " " << ts->y << " " << ts->z << endl;

}

With output of:

before 10 10 Hello
after task1 35 5.5 Goodbye
after task2 10 10 World