Null references (oh no, not again!)

[Georg Wrede]

Jason House wrote:
> I'll gladly add assert(0) if my complex logic confuses the compiler.
> Actually, it pisses me off when the current dmd compiler complains
> about an assert(0) being unreachable.


I'd love it if an unreachable assert(0) were a special case.

At the start of programming, the code is in serious flux, and many times 
it would be really handy to have a few extra asserts around. Once the 
code crystallises you remove the most blatant asserts.

I do this in shell scripting, too. For example, in the original rdmd 
there still is a check that essentially says "if we get here, abort with 
a message 'logic failure, check code'."

Of course, there are people who simply have such a clear head that they 
essentially have the entire source file figured out before they start 
typing. I have some such friends. They would not need this feature. But 
there's some code even in Phobos that looks like it could use this.