This why I don't fully agree with #2. I often avoid default assignment because it only works for undefined and not null (or was it the other way around?) which

This why I don't fully agree with #2. I often avoid default assignment because it only works for undefined and not null (or was it the other way around?) which can be surprising and cause hard to find bugs. || allow falling back from either. Should be used with some care though. I used to use || more frivolously.