Why assert is in the language?

[Ellery Newcomer]

On 06/22/2010 05:36 PM, Ali Çehreli wrote:
> Jonathan M Davis wrote:
>  > Steven Schveighoffer wrote:
>
>  >> all calls to assert are removed by the compiler in release mode. I
> don't
>  >> think there's a way to implement that via a library (it would be nice
>  >> though!)
>
>  > Also IIRC, the compiler uses assert(0) to ensure that functions blow
> up at
>  > runtime if you manage to hit the end of them without a return statement.
>
> I just read in TDPL that the assert(0) calls in user code are not
> removed even in release mode.
>
> Ali

Really?

// test.d
void main(){
  assert(0);
}

$ dmd test -release
$ ./test
Segmentation fault (core dumped)

good job, dmd. Can anyone see if anything is going on here?