EAC - Voluntary Voting System Guidelines

Name : | Ian S. Piper
Organization : | Diebold Election Systems, Inc.
Post Date : | 9/29/2005
Section Comments
Section : | 4.2.3
Page no. : | 4-5
Line no.: |
Comment : | For the requirement in item (b), "Headers are optional for modules of fewer than ten executable lines where the subject module is embedded in a larger module that has a header containing the header information.", the portion of the requirement starting with the word "where..." should be removed. Short functions shouldn't require headers regardless of being embedded in a larger functions. One line functions, where the "purpose, design and conditions", are plainly self explanatory and don't require headers. The requirement to put headers on all functions is actually detrimental to coding practice, as it discourages programmers from decomposing larger functions into small helper functions that would be more readable. The limit of 'ten' lines could be reduced even further (say to "five" or "four") with the condition removed. Proposed change: Remove the following language from this requirement "... where the subject module is embedded in a larger module that has a header containing the header information."