NASA's 10 software development rules, aimed at embedded programming for spacecraft, prioritize avoiding programming pitfalls to prevent mission failures. Critiques highlight the limitations of these rules when applied to other contexts, such as compiler development, questioning their universality and adaptability to better languages. Each rule is examined critically, emphasizing the complexities involved, especially restrictions on control flow, loops, dynamic memory, function length, assertions, scope, error checking, preprocessor use, pointers, and compilation practices. Many rules, while promoting safety, may hinder readability, maintainability, and flexibility in programming.
https://www.cs.otago.ac.nz/cosc345/resources/nasa-10-rules.htm