in case you are interested in Spark...

    // Set name from main class if not given
    name = Option(name).orElse(Option(mainClass)).orNull
    if (name == null && primaryResource != null) {
      name = Utils.stripDirectory(primaryResource)
    }

Just a chunk of their funny shitty code.

FYI, var name: String = null

I'd rewrite all that crap, but it's not only code, I'm afraid. It's the whole Spark world that needs a doctor.