Questions about using `assert` in Java

[Daohan Qu]

Hi Pavel,

> There have been studies looking into correlation between assertion density
> and fault/defect density. Here's one such study: "Assessing the Relationship
> between Software Assertions and Code Quality: An Empirical Investigation".

Thanks and yes! And there are also some more recent studies about this [1, 2].
They all seem to imply that using assert​ is beneficial.

> That said, Java assertions are a bit anaemic. I wish they generated helpful
> messages automatically (though I realise that it might have security implications).
> Consider these assertions:
>
>   * assert x >= 0;
>   * assert x && y;
>   * assert a == b;
>   * assert ( f ? foo() : bar() );
>
> I would like the compiler to transform those into these (respectively):
>
>   * assert x >= 0 : x;
>   * assert x && y : x + ", " + y;
>   * assert a == b : a + ", " + b;
>   * assert ( f ? foo() : bar() ) : f;

Interesting, this idea may also apply to assert​​ statements of other languages. :P

[1] https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7194623
[2] https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3084226.3084259

Regards,
Daohan
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