Some code cleanup and future-proofing

Thanks for writing such a useful module!  Let me know if there's stuff I can add.

My development process uses Miller's JavaScript Lint to help me catch my own mistakes. It's helpful if all code can use the same configuration file.  I'm not being anal about JavaScript syntax.

These changes will
1) avoid warning flags from lint-ing editors, which distract from understanding the source.
2) future-proof the code.  I don't know that the "short" and "long" keywords will be enforced soon, but it is better not to use them.