Lines of Code is one of the most controversial source code metrics in software engineering practice. It is relatively easy to calculate, understand and use by the different stakeholders for a variety of purposes – that is why it is the most frequently applied measure in software estimation, quality assurance and many other fields. Yet, there is a high level of variability in the definition and calculation methods of the metric which makes it difficult to use it as a base for important decisions. Furthermore, there are cases when its usage is highly questionable – such as direct programmer productivity assessment.
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