Re: [Bug-gnulib] hash.c change to use abort rather than assert

[Bruno Haible]

Paul Eggert writes:
> In Bison we recently removed all uses of 'assert' in favor of 'abort'.

Just a stylistic preference: I prefer to turn

     assert (bucket < table->bucket_limit);

into

     if (!(bucket < table->bucket_limit))
       abort ();

*not*

     if (bucket >= table->bucket_limit)
       abort ();

The reason is that it is generally helpful to thing in terms of
statements which are expected to be true. You can also call them
invariants. In other words, the code before the 'assert' should
_ensure_ that

     bucket < table->bucket_limit

and the code following the 'assert' can _rely_ on

     bucket < table->bucket_limit

It helps the thinking (for me at least) if this expression is also
found in the code or in a comment, and not its converse.

Bruno