Breaking nil to fix bugs: experimental approach
summary
Implements an experimental Ruby prototype that extends NilClass to turn silent nil usage into loud failures, adds method_missing hooks to record call sites and stack traces, and uses dynamic method generation to simulate expected objects and reveal hidden assumptions. The prototype runs against a real codebase and surfaces multiple previously unnoticed NoMethodError sources and incorrect nil-handling patterns; it works well as a debugging tool in development but intentionally breaks behavior and is unsafe for production.
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chapters (5)
- 0:00Introduction to the talk
- 4:50Understanding nil in programming
- 11:00Experimental approach to fix bugs
- 17:32Practical demonstrations
- 23:57Q&A and conclusion
