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- Vet is a tool that checks correctness of Go programs. It runs a suite of tests,
- each tailored to check for a particular class of errors. Examples include incorrect
- Printf format verbs and malformed build tags.
- Over time many checks have been added to vet's suite, but many more have been
- rejected as not appropriate for the tool. The criteria applied when selecting which
- checks to add are:
- Correctness:
- Vet's checks are about correctness, not style. A vet check must identify real or
- potential bugs that could cause incorrect compilation or execution. A check that
- only identifies stylistic points or alternative correct approaches to a situation
- is not acceptable.
- Frequency:
- Vet is run every day by many programmers, often as part of every compilation or
- submission. The cost in execution time is considerable, especially in aggregate,
- so checks must be likely enough to find real problems that they are worth the
- overhead of the added check. A new check that finds only a handful of problems
- across all existing programs, even if the problem is significant, is not worth
- adding to the suite everyone runs daily.
- Precision:
- Most of vet's checks are heuristic and can generate both false positives (flagging
- correct programs) and false negatives (not flagging incorrect ones). The rate of
- both these failures must be very small. A check that is too noisy will be ignored
- by the programmer overwhelmed by the output; a check that misses too many of the
- cases it's looking for will give a false sense of security. Neither is acceptable.
- A vet check must be accurate enough that everything it reports is worth examining,
- and complete enough to encourage real confidence.
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