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This also definitely does not apply to .NET where there are many classes that override ToString for meaningful, well-documented behavior (StringBuilder is one, funnily enough). It's best to check the docs or look at IntelliSense before applying this rule in a blanket fashion.

That said, it does seem like Microsoft has since moved away from overriding ToString for such things. In all honesty, Object.ToString was probably a mistake to begin with.

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There's nothing wrong with returning something well-specified from toString, but I agree this should never be relied upon. And even if toString actually return something well-specified, the same functionality should be available as a distinct method.

Any form of (semi-)automatic SomeObject -> String should be treated as a convenience for the developer to avoid getting a non-descriptive memory location reported.

Having the automatic toString isn't the problem, but maybe the name of the method is. It could be called "asDebugHelpRepresentation" or something more descriptive.

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