Peer Code Review - Keep your source code out of court

A recent article by Michael Barr mentions how static analysis and peer code reviews can prevent your source code from showing up in court:

"Don't let your firmware source code end up in court! Adopt a coding standard that will prevent bugs and start following it; don't wait a day. Run lint and other static analysis and code complexity tools yourself, rather than waiting for an expert witness to do it for you. Make peer code reviews a regular part of every working day on your team. And establish a testing environment and regimen that allows for regression testing at the unit and system level. These best practices won't ensure perfect quality, but they will show you tried your best."

Read the complete The lawyers are coming! article to learn more.

Using Static Analysis as Part of Code Review

A recent article by S. Tucker Taft and Robert B.K. Dewar begins:

"As static analysis tools have become more sophisticated, their role in the software development process has become a subject of debate. Can a project team use a static analysis tool instead of other, presumably more labor-intensive steps in the normal process of coding, testing, verifying, validating, and ultimately, certifying critical software? The answer is an unequivocal 'yes.'"

Read the complete Making Static Analysis a Part of Code Review article for their thoughts on how static analysis tools can ease the difficulty of reviewing unfamiliar code.