title: Are assertions always bad?
body: <p>I used to work for a company where some of the lead architect/developers had mandated on various projects that assertions were not to be used, and they would routinely be removed from code and replaced with exceptions.  </p>
  
  <p>I feel they are extremely important in writing correct code.  Can anyone suggest how such a mandate could be justified?  If so, what's wrong with assertions?</p>