Null Pointer

Null references have historically been a bad idea Early compilers provided opt-out switches for run-time checks, at the expense of correctness Programming language designers should be responsible for the errors in programs written in that language Customer requests and markets may not ask for what's good for them; they may need regulation to build the market If the billion dollar mistake was the null pointer, the C gets function is a multi-billion dollar mistake that created the opportunity for malware and viruses to thrive 00:45 Thesis: historically, null references have been a bad idea.