> When data comes in over the wire, you probably shouldn't be making assumptions about what's nullable.
I have to work with their APIs often (as well as Amazon, Facebook and a couple other big players, they're all equally awful).
Their documentation will tell you a type is an integer and will never be null. They will do this for 3 months, and then change it to send a string that can be nullable or empty string, without telling you or updating API versions. It goes beyond robustness. It's the "BigCorp will actively lie to you in their documentation" principle.
I have to work with their APIs often (as well as Amazon, Facebook and a couple other big players, they're all equally awful).
Their documentation will tell you a type is an integer and will never be null. They will do this for 3 months, and then change it to send a string that can be nullable or empty string, without telling you or updating API versions. It goes beyond robustness. It's the "BigCorp will actively lie to you in their documentation" principle.