Non-null objects, the Null Object pattern, and T.init

[deadalnix]

On Saturday, 18 January 2014 at 00:25:49 UTC, Andrei Alexandrescu
wrote:
> On 1/17/14 4:21 PM, Adam D. Ruppe wrote:
>> On Saturday, 18 January 2014 at 00:12:16 UTC, Andrei 
>> Alexandrescu wrote:
>>> Yes, improving the language is in the cards. I have collected 
>>> enough
>>> hard evidence to convince myself that null references are a 
>>> real and
>>> important issue (previously I'd agreed with Walter who is 
>>> considering
>>> it not particularly remarkable).
>>
>> Have they tried using a NotNull!T yet?
>
> Not a D project (Java/Android). However there is work underway 
> on a static analyzer for Java. I cannot give exact stats, but 
> we have gathered extensive data that null pointer exceptions 
> form a major, major problem on Facebook's Android app, and that 
> virtually all can be solved by static analysis.
>
> No amount of speculation and hypothesizing will talk me out of 
> that.
>
>
> Andrei

I remember mentioning that a year or two month ago, and you
dismissing it.

Happy to see you changed your mind on that.