Re:Please do not attempt to simplify this code
by yawaramin on Sunday December 30, 2018 @02:03AM
(#18787883)
You don't write the compiler, of course, but you do write or rather design the types that your program uses. The typechecker ensures that they're consistent within the system of logic that they set up.
By your logic, it's not enough to have faith in unit tests because you wrote them; you must also write the test framework and runner.
I wasn't really talking about type systems specifically, I was thinking along the lines of the Rust borrow checker here, and lower level programming like assembly and C.
> A good type system is also an ergonomic one. What people start to experience is that the compiler is actually a friend that helps you write code and keep yourself true to your own promises.
I see a lot of people make the mistake that type safe code is bug free code. "It compiles, therefore ship it."
> It doesn't come down to trust, it comes down to the realization that your mind can keep track of less information than a computer, and that you, as a programmer, are forgetful and make mistakes. The compiler is there to help you when you stumble over your own feet.
You trust the compiler to find bugs. Awesome. Luck be to you. I trust unit tests more than the compiler. Mostly because I wrote them. The compiler, I didn't.