Re:The Compiler Is Your Best Friend, Stop Lying to It
by addaon on Wednesday December 31, 2025 @12:38PM
(#46446320)
`assert(false)` is pronounced "this can never happen." It's reasonable to add a comment with /why/ this can never happen, but if that's all the comment would have said, a message adds no value.
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Re:The Compiler Is Your Best Friend, Stop Lying to It
by eterm on Wednesday December 31, 2025 @12:43PM
(#46446379)
Oh I agree, literally `assert(false, "This cannot happen")` is useless, but ensuring message is always there encourages something more like, `assert(false, "This implies the Foo is Barred, but we have the Qux to make sure it never is")`.
Ensuring a message encourages people to state the assumptions that are violated, rather than just asserting that their assumptions (which?) don't hold.
Re:The Compiler Is Your Best Friend, Stop Lying to It
by breatheoften on Wednesday December 31, 2025 @04:56PM
(#46448779)
what language are we talking about? If it's cpp then the pronounciation depends on compiler flags (perhaps inferred from CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE)