[cgenschwap]

You're right the type system isn't really the solution for catching dead code. But compilers can easily check for this, if the language is restricted enough.

The issue with a lot of dynamic languages is things like monkey patching and reflection, which means that functions can be called at runtime but otherwise there is no way of checking beforehand.

Some people swear by this dynamic flexibility and the benefits it brings, but there are some serious downsides in terms of refactoring.