What is a Breath Test Machine's "Source Code" and why California DUI defense attorneys should be entitled to it:

California DUI breath test machines are controlled by software. Source code is the human readable representation of the software. Source code is converted to the instructions that control the California DUI breath test machine by a computer program called a compiler.

Once compiled, the software has no ambiguities, unlike works written in a natural language.
Compared to traditional machines (voting, radar, etc.), a breath test manufacturer’s machine is different in every legal jurisdiction. These differences deal with different test procedures, regulations and laws. Requirements change in each state every 1 to 2 years due to statutory changes, frequently with requests from breath test agency change requests.

It is impossible to validate that a California DUI breath test machine test was properly offered to a California citizen.

Most states do not log all activity on their machines. When states do log activity, the agencies responsible for managing the programs do not have the expertise to understand what is logged. The Source Code is believed to discard the critical measurements that lead to the computed answer. California DUI breath test machines do not show how they work.

The failure of the California DUI breath test machines to show their work, the failure to preserve the California DUI breath sample, and the failure to preserve the California DUI breath test machine's testing process, means that the only method to verify the science of the California DUI breath test machines breath test is to review what the machine did. This can be accomplished only through an analysis of the California DUI breath test machine's source code.

All complex software has defects or failures. When defects are encountered while the software is executed, faults can occur. When faults occur, they sometimes cause visible errors, referred to as failures. Industry norms can be used to estimate the number of defects, e.g. 50 defects per 1,000 lines of source code. When the California DUI breath test machine's manufacturer fixes a problem, the error reinsertion rate will establish the probability that a new error is introduced.

It is time to speak up when the California State Legislature establishes requirements that violate the basic principles of science. It is time to demand that the same standards and policies that are used to design medical and military systems be employed in the design of machines that can take a citizen’s liberty. It is time to speak out when a California DUI breath test machine manufacturer employs intellectually dishonest methods to hide known defective processes. In science as in law, sunlight is the best disinfectant. Do not let the California DUI breath test machine manufacturer or the state hide behind a curtain.

A scientific formula means nothing if the California DUI breath test machine's source code does not faithfully implement the science. Full logging of all calculations and work of the California DUI breath test machines should be the basic requirement for any scientific endorsement of the California DUI breath test machines. California citizens deserve California DUI breath test machines that are the best that can be built and used, and that work correctly.

California DUI defense lawyers should demand nothing less. When the source code is analyzed, the quality of California DUI breath testing will either be improved vastly, or the California DUI breath test machines will be declared unfit for use.