Re:Are dynamic languages going to replace static languages? ...
by shadowgovt on Wednesday August 04, 2021 @10:25AM
(#28061353)
This story doesn't match with my observation programming.
Failure to sanity-check a null almost never stemmed from someone deleting the non-null assertion intentionally. It stemmed from someone rewiring the control flow in such a way as to bypass the non-null assertion without intending to (such as early-returning because they think they can shortcut the computation, but the shortcut isn't actually valid if the argument in question is null).
The tests have value precisely because they aren't in the regular control flow of the unit under test and will fail when the code flow is changed and the author didn't realize the change modified the expected behavior of the function.
Failure to sanity-check a null almost never stemmed from someone deleting the non-null assertion intentionally. It stemmed from someone rewiring the control flow in such a way as to bypass the non-null assertion without intending to (such as early-returning because they think they can shortcut the computation, but the shortcut isn't actually valid if the argument in question is null).
The tests have value precisely because they aren't in the regular control flow of the unit under test and will fail when the code flow is changed and the author didn't realize the change modified the expected behavior of the function.