diff --git a/terminal/org.eclipse.tm.terminal.test/.settings/org.eclipse.jdt.core.prefs b/terminal/org.eclipse.tm.terminal.test/.settings/org.eclipse.jdt.core.prefs
index d4ce580d8a5..ffcbd6342d6 100644
--- a/terminal/org.eclipse.tm.terminal.test/.settings/org.eclipse.jdt.core.prefs
+++ b/terminal/org.eclipse.tm.terminal.test/.settings/org.eclipse.jdt.core.prefs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-#Fri Aug 03 17:25:20 CEST 2007
+#Tue Oct 09 16:54:56 CEST 2007
 eclipse.preferences.version=1
-org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.codegen.targetPlatform=1.2
+org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.codegen.targetPlatform=1.4
 org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.compliance=1.4
-org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.problem.assertIdentifier=warning
+org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.problem.assertIdentifier=error
 org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.problem.enumIdentifier=warning
-org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.source=1.3
+org.eclipse.jdt.core.compiler.source=1.4
diff --git a/terminal/org.eclipse.tm.terminal.test/src/org/eclipse/tm/internal/terminal/model/AbstractITerminalTextDataTest.java b/terminal/org.eclipse.tm.terminal.test/src/org/eclipse/tm/internal/terminal/model/AbstractITerminalTextDataTest.java
index f8d039c6c8b..9720ec2cd8f 100644
--- a/terminal/org.eclipse.tm.terminal.test/src/org/eclipse/tm/internal/terminal/model/AbstractITerminalTextDataTest.java
+++ b/terminal/org.eclipse.tm.terminal.test/src/org/eclipse/tm/internal/terminal/model/AbstractITerminalTextDataTest.java
@@ -20,6 +20,14 @@ import org.eclipse.tm.terminal.model.StyleColor;
 abstract public class AbstractITerminalTextDataTest extends TestCase {
 	abstract protected ITerminalTextData makeITerminalTextData();
 
+	protected void setUp() throws Exception {
+		try {
+			assert false;
+			throw new Error("make sure you run this code with assertions enabled (vmargs: -ea)");
+		} catch(AssertionError e) {
+		}
+		super.setUp();
+	}
 	protected String toSimple(ITerminalTextData term) {
 		return TerminalTextTestHelper.toSimple(term);
 	}