Just trying to learn here, not being combative, couldn't the same compiler support have just enforced the non nullness? At first you think, how do you enforce

Just trying to learn here, not being combative, couldn't the same compiler support have just enforced the non nullness? At first you think, how do you enforce someEnum = getAnEnumSomewhere(), but at some point there's got to be an original reference being hard-set to null that the compiler could see, right? also i don't understand your point about universal defaults? enum Foo { bar default, baz }; why can't you guard against the default? how is checking a foo enum against bar different then checking against null?