diff --git a/connection.cpp b/connection.cpp
index f65171d..8d608c3 100644
--- a/connection.cpp
+++ b/connection.cpp
@@ -64,8 +64,7 @@ u_int32_t PackList::sumanddel (timeval t)
 /* packet may be deleted by caller */
 Connection::Connection (Packet * packet)
 {
-	if (!ROBUST)
-		assert (packet != NULL);
+	assert (packet != NULL);
 	connections = new ConnList (this, connections);
 	sent_packets = new PackList ();
 	recv_packets = new PackList ();
diff --git a/connection.h b/connection.h
index 6c5925a..8316eef 100644
--- a/connection.h
+++ b/connection.h
@@ -31,8 +31,7 @@ public:
 	}
 	PackList (Packet * m_val)
 	{
-		if (!ROBUST)
-			assert (m_val != NULL);
+		assert (m_val != NULL);
 		content = new PackListNode(m_val);
 	}
 	~PackList ()
diff --git a/cui.cpp b/cui.cpp
index 12470d1..c102104 100644
--- a/cui.cpp
+++ b/cui.cpp
@@ -36,20 +36,14 @@ class Line
 public:
 	Line (const char * name, double n_recv_value, double n_sent_value, pid_t pid, uid_t uid, const char * n_devicename)
 	{
-		if (!ROBUST)
-		{
-			assert (pid >= 0);
-		}
+		assert (pid >= 0);
 		m_name = name;
 		sent_value = n_sent_value;
 		recv_value = n_recv_value;
 		devicename = n_devicename;
 		m_pid = pid;
 		m_uid = uid;
-		if (!ROBUST)
-		{
-			assert (m_pid >= 0);
-		}
+		assert (m_pid >= 0);
 	}
 
 	void show (int row);
@@ -72,10 +66,7 @@ char * uid2username (uid_t uid)
 
 	if (pwd == NULL)
 	{
-		if (!ROBUST)
-		{
-			assert(false);
-		}
+		assert(false);
 		return strdup ("unlisted");
 	} else {
 		return strdup(pwd->pw_name);
@@ -85,11 +76,8 @@ char * uid2username (uid_t uid)
 
 void Line::show (int row)
 {
-	if (!ROBUST)
-	{
-		assert (m_pid >= 0);
-		assert (m_pid <= 100000);
-	}
+	assert (m_pid >= 0);
+	assert (m_pid <= 100000);
 
 	if (DEBUG || tracemode)
 	{
@@ -336,24 +324,21 @@ void do_refresh()
 	double sent_global = 0;
 	double recv_global = 0;
 
-	if (!ROBUST)
-	{
-		// initialise to null pointers
-		for (int i = 0; i < nproc; i++)
-			lines[i] = NULL;
-	}
+#ifndef NDEBUG
+	// initialise to null pointers
+	for (int i = 0; i < nproc; i++)
+		lines[i] = NULL;
+#endif
 
 	while (curproc != NULL)
 	{
 		// walk though its connections, summing up their data, and
 		// throwing away connections that haven't received a package
 		// in the last PROCESSTIMEOUT seconds.
-		if (!ROBUST)
-		{
-			assert (curproc != NULL);
-			assert (curproc->getVal() != NULL);
-			assert (nproc == processes->size());
-		}
+		assert (curproc != NULL);
+		assert (curproc->getVal() != NULL);
+		assert (nproc == processes->size());
+
 		/* remove timed-out processes (unless it's one of the the unknown process) */
 		if ((curproc->getVal()->getLastPacket() + PROCESSTIMEOUT <= curtime.tv_sec)
 				&& (curproc->getVal() != unknowntcp)
@@ -408,30 +393,28 @@ void do_refresh()
 				forceExit("Invalid viewmode");
 			}
 			uid_t uid = curproc->getVal()->getUid();
-			if (!ROBUST)
-			{
-				struct passwd * pwuid = getpwuid(uid);
-				assert (pwuid != NULL);
-				// value returned by pwuid should not be freed, according to
-				// Petr Uzel.
-				//free (pwuid);
-				assert (curproc->getVal()->pid >= 0);
-				assert (n < nproc);
-			}
+#ifndef NDEBUG
+			struct passwd * pwuid = getpwuid(uid);
+			assert (pwuid != NULL);
+			// value returned by pwuid should not be freed, according to
+			// Petr Uzel.
+			//free (pwuid);
+#endif
+			assert (curproc->getVal()->pid >= 0);
+			assert (n < nproc);
+
 			lines[n] = new Line (curproc->getVal()->name, value_recv, value_sent,
 					curproc->getVal()->pid, uid, curproc->getVal()->devicename);
 			previousproc = curproc;
 			curproc = curproc->next;
 			n++;
-			if (!ROBUST)
-			{
-				assert (nproc == processes->size());
-				if (curproc == NULL)
-					assert (n-1 < nproc);
-				else
-					assert (n < nproc);
-
-			}
+#ifndef NDEBUG
+			assert (nproc == processes->size());
+			if (curproc == NULL)
+				assert (n-1 < nproc);
+			else
+				assert (n < nproc);
+#endif
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/inode2prog.cpp b/inode2prog.cpp
index 2774bcb..9bddeef 100644
--- a/inode2prog.cpp
+++ b/inode2prog.cpp
@@ -154,8 +154,7 @@ void get_info_for_pid(char * pid) {
 			free (fromname);
 			continue;
 		}
-		if (!ROBUST)
-			assert (usedlen < linklen);
+		assert (usedlen < linklen);
 		linkname[usedlen] = '\0';
 		//std::cout << "Linking to: " << linkname << std::endl;
 		get_info_by_linkname (pid, linkname);
diff --git a/nethogs.h b/nethogs.h
index 20edeb3..c9969bb 100644
--- a/nethogs.h
+++ b/nethogs.h
@@ -32,12 +32,6 @@
 
 #define DEBUG 0
 
-// if '0', do extra checks and
-// assertions. good for finding bugs
-// at an early stage of development.
-// for production, should be 1.
-#define ROBUST 1
-
 #define REVERSEHACK 0
 
 // 2 times: 32 characters, 7 ':''s, a ':12345'.
@@ -95,8 +89,7 @@ public:
 
 		int result = inet_pton (AF_INET6, address, &addr6);
 
-		if (!ROBUST)
-			assert (result > 0);
+		assert (result > 0);
 		sa_family = AF_INET6;
 	}
 
diff --git a/packet.cpp b/packet.cpp
index c9ba6ba..d28a3c4 100644
--- a/packet.cpp
+++ b/packet.cpp
@@ -64,8 +64,7 @@ void getLocal (const char *device, bool tracemode)
 				char address [33];
 				char ifname [9];
 				int n_results = sscanf (buffer, "%32[0-9a-f] %*d %*d %*d %*d %8[0-9a-zA-Z]", address, ifname);
-				if (!ROBUST)
-					assert (n_results = 2);
+				assert (n_results = 2);
 
 				if (strcmp (stripspaces(ifname), device) == 0)
 				{
@@ -182,8 +181,7 @@ bool Packet::isOlderThan (timeval t) {
 
 bool Packet::Outgoing () {
 	/* must be initialised with getLocal("eth0:1");) */
-	if (!ROBUST)
-		assert (local_addrs != NULL);
+	assert (local_addrs != NULL);
 
 	switch (dir) {
 	  case dir_outgoing:
diff --git a/process.cpp b/process.cpp
index e04cc09..cedf7ea 100644
--- a/process.cpp
+++ b/process.cpp
@@ -65,11 +65,8 @@ int Process::getLastPacket()
 	ConnList * curconn=connections;
 	while (curconn != NULL)
 	{
-		if (!ROBUST)
-		{
-			assert (curconn != NULL);
-			assert (curconn->getVal() != NULL);
-		}
+		assert (curconn != NULL);
+		assert (curconn->getVal() != NULL);
 		if (curconn->getVal()->getLastPacket() > lastpacket)
 			lastpacket = curconn->getVal()->getLastPacket();
 		curconn = curconn->getNext();
@@ -83,8 +80,7 @@ Process * findProcess (struct prg_node * node)
 	while (current != NULL)
 	{
 		Process * currentproc = current->getVal();
-		if (!ROBUST)
-			assert (currentproc != NULL);
+		assert (currentproc != NULL);
 		
 		if (node->pid == currentproc->pid)
 			return current->getVal();
@@ -127,8 +123,10 @@ void reviewUnknown ()
 				if (DEBUG || bughuntmode)
 					std::cout << "FIXME: Previously unknown inode " << inode << " now got process - apparently it makes sense to review unknown connections\n";
 				/* Yay! - but how can this happen? */
-				if (!ROBUST)
-					assert(false);
+				assert(false);
+
+				/* TODO: this needs some investigation/refactoring - we should never get here due to assert(false) */
+
 				if (previous_conn != NULL)
 				{
 					previous_conn->setNext (curr_conn->getNext());
diff --git a/process.h b/process.h
index 6c6abb2..83a92d0 100644
--- a/process.h
+++ b/process.h
@@ -15,8 +15,7 @@ class ConnList
 public:
 	ConnList (Connection * m_val, ConnList * m_next)
 	{
-		if (!ROBUST)
-			assert (m_val != NULL);
+		assert (m_val != NULL);
 		val = m_val; next = m_next;
 	}
 	~ConnList ()
@@ -63,9 +62,7 @@ public:
 		uid = 0;
 	}
 	void check () {
-		if (!ROBUST) {
-			assert (pid >= 0);
-		}
+		assert (pid >= 0);
 	}
 	
 	~Process ()
@@ -101,8 +98,7 @@ class ProcList
 public:
 	ProcList (Process * m_val, ProcList * m_next)
 	{
-		if (!ROBUST)
-			assert (m_val != NULL);
+		assert (m_val != NULL);
 		val = m_val; next = m_next;
 	}
 	int size ();