diff --git a/system/include/platform.h b/system/include/platform.h
index b703e13ba10..fc1c1aa1b73 100644
--- a/system/include/platform.h
+++ b/system/include/platform.h
@@ -18,8 +18,6 @@
 #ifndef _PLATFORM_H_
 #define _PLATFORM_H_
 
-#define _TESTING // this should remain set for the near future
-
 // **** Architecture detection ****
 // Ref: http://sourceforge.net/p/predef/wiki/Architectures/
 // Following GNU, ARMCC, ICC and MSVS macros only
diff --git a/system/jlib/jiface.hpp b/system/jlib/jiface.hpp
index ca502ab010d..500ff9b63c4 100644
--- a/system/jlib/jiface.hpp
+++ b/system/jlib/jiface.hpp
@@ -33,13 +33,9 @@ __declspec(noreturn) void jlib_decl raiseAssertCore(const char *assertion, const
 #undef assert
 #undef assertex
 
-#if defined(_DEBUG)||defined(_TESTING)
- #define assertex(p) (likely(p) ? ((void) 0) : (( (void) raiseAssertException(#p, __FILE__, __LINE__))))
- #define verifyex(p) (likely(p) ? ((void) 0) : (( (void) raiseAssertException(#p, __FILE__, __LINE__))))
-#else
- #define assertex(p)
- #define verifyex(p) ((void) (p))
-#endif
+// NB: assertex should be a NOP in release really, but changing now may have undesirable side-effects
+#define assertex(p) (likely(p) ? ((void) 0) : (( (void) raiseAssertException(#p, __FILE__, __LINE__))))
+#define verifyex(p) (likely(p) ? ((void) 0) : (( (void) raiseAssertException(#p, __FILE__, __LINE__))))
 
 #ifdef _DEBUG
  #define dbgassertex(x) assertex(x)   //Use for asserts that are highly unlikely to occur, and would likely to be reproduced in debug mode.
diff --git a/system/jlib/jsocket.cpp b/system/jlib/jsocket.cpp
index 2788268b8ed..8d113a0db84 100644
--- a/system/jlib/jsocket.cpp
+++ b/system/jlib/jsocket.cpp
@@ -130,9 +130,8 @@
 //#define EPOLLTRACE
 #endif
 
-#ifdef _TESTING
+// comment out this definition to suppress all low-level jsocket error logging
 #define _TRACE
-#endif
 
 #ifdef _TRACE
 #define LOGERR(err,ref,info) LogErr(err,ref,info,__LINE__,NULL)
diff --git a/thorlcr/graph/thgraphslave.hpp b/thorlcr/graph/thgraphslave.hpp
index 5476e5f999a..542c73116ce 100644
--- a/thorlcr/graph/thgraphslave.hpp
+++ b/thorlcr/graph/thgraphslave.hpp
@@ -85,7 +85,6 @@ class CEdgeProgress
     inline void dataLinkIncrement() { dataLinkIncrement(1); }
     inline void dataLinkIncrement(rowcount_t v)
     {
-#ifdef _TESTING
         assertex(hasStarted());
 #ifdef OUTPUT_RECORDSIZE
         if (count==THORDATALINK_STARTED)
@@ -93,7 +92,6 @@ class CEdgeProgress
             size32_t rsz = parent.queryRowMetaData(this)->getMinRecordSize();
             parent.ActPrintLog("Record size %s= %d", parent.queryRowMetaData(this)->isVariableSize()?"(min) ":"",rsz);
         }
-#endif
 #endif
         icount += v;
         count += v;
diff --git a/thorlcr/msort/tsorta.cpp b/thorlcr/msort/tsorta.cpp
index 573db3d0e8e..6bf83cc6241 100644
--- a/thorlcr/msort/tsorta.cpp
+++ b/thorlcr/msort/tsorta.cpp
@@ -341,6 +341,7 @@ void CThorKeyArray::createSortedPartition(unsigned pn)
     keys.swap(newrows);
 }
 
+#define VALIDATE_KEY_BOUNDARIES
 int CThorKeyArray::binchopPartition(const void * row,bool lt)
 {
     int n = (int)ordinality();
@@ -349,7 +350,7 @@ int CThorKeyArray::binchopPartition(const void * row,bool lt)
     int a = 0;
     int b = n;
     int cmp = 0;
-#ifdef _TESTING
+#ifdef VALIDATE_KEY_BOUNDARIES
 try {
 #endif
     while (a<b)
@@ -362,7 +363,7 @@ try {
         {
             if (cmp==0)
             {
-#ifdef _TESTING
+#ifdef VALIDATE_KEY_BOUNDARIES
                 a = m;
                 while ((a<n)&&(keyCompare(m,a)==0))
                     a++;
@@ -371,7 +372,7 @@ try {
 #endif
                 while ((m>0)&&(keyCompare(m-1,m)==0))
                     m--;
-#ifdef _TESTING
+#ifdef VALIDATE_KEY_BOUNDARIES
                 if (m>0) 
                     assertex(keyRowCompare((unsigned)m-1,row)<0);
 #endif
@@ -382,7 +383,7 @@ try {
             a = m+1;
         }
     }
-#ifdef _TESTING
+#ifdef VALIDATE_KEY_BOUNDARIES
     if (lt)
     {
         if (a<n) 
@@ -417,7 +418,7 @@ catch (IException *e)
     DBGLOG("a=%d, b=%d, cmp=%d",a,b,cmp);
     throw;
 }
-#endif
+#endif // VALIDATE_KEY_BOUNDARIES
     while (lt&&a&&(keyRowCompare((unsigned)a-1,row)==0))
         a--;
     return a-1;
diff --git a/thorlcr/thorutil/thmem.cpp b/thorlcr/thorutil/thmem.cpp
index 7bc84dc31ce..e92eec7598c 100644
--- a/thorlcr/thorutil/thmem.cpp
+++ b/thorlcr/thorutil/thmem.cpp
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@
 #include "thmem.hpp"
 
 #ifdef _DEBUG
-//#define _TESTING
 #define ASSERTEX(c) assertex(c)
 #else
 #define ASSERTEX(c)