Why checking errors is bad: Jimmy Koppel's contrarian take on defensive coding
jimmykoppel · x · 2026-10-13
Programming educator Jimmy Koppel published "Why checking errors is bad," opening with an analogy: a microwave that checks you didn't type a negative number or isn't causing a nuclear reaction — absurd, yet much code does something morally similar. He challenges prevailing defensive error-checking practice, arguing that many checks impose validation responsibilities on code that shouldn't own them, and makes the case for rethinking the boundaries of error handling. Worth a read for engineers interested in software design philosophy.
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