Variability evolution and erosion in industrial product lines

Zhang, Bo; Becker, Martin; Patzke, Thomas; Sierszecki, Krzysztof; Savolainen, Juha

doi:10.1145/2491627.2491645

Cited by 28 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Measuring the characteristics of using cpp in the software systems under consideration answers the questions Q1.1 to Q1.4. To this end, we collected a set of metrics based on previous work [Liebig et al, 2010[Liebig et al, , 2011Zhang et al, 2013], as listed in Table 1. We divided the metrics into four categories according to the questions stated before: size, scattering, tangling, and nesting metrics.…”

Section: Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Next, we introduce the metrics. Table 1 List of metrics and corresponding descriptions, based on previous work [Liebig et al, 2010[Liebig et al, , 2011Zhang et al, 2013] The size metrics quantify how many configuration constants are used (configuration constants, CC), and in how many #ifdef annotations (variation points, VP). Moreover, we measure the overall system size (lines of code, LOC) and the total number of cpp-annotated lines of code (LOF).…”

Section: Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A similarity would lead to a higher external validity of studies of software systems from either world, especially, as industrial case studies are rarely available. In the past, researchers have concentrated either only on open-source systems or on industrial systems [Liebig et al, 2010[Liebig et al, , 2011Zhang et al, 2013;Ernst et al, 2002]; in this study, we compare both worlds to learn about their similarities and differences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preprocessor-based variability in open-source and industrial software systems: An empirical study

et al. 2015

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Almost every sufficiently complex software system today is configurable. Conditional compilation is a simple variability-implementation mechanism that is widely used in open-source projects and industry. Especially, the C preprocessor (cpp) is very popular in practice, but it is also gaining (again) interest in academia. Although there have been several attempts to understand and improve cpp, there is a lack of understanding of how it is used in open-source and industrial systems and whether different usage patterns have emerged. The background is that much research on configurable systems and product lines concentrates on open-source systems, simply because they are available for study in the first place. This leads to the potentially problematic situation that it is unclear whether the results obtained from these studies are transferable to industrial systems. We aim at lowering this gap by compar- * This author published previous work as Janet Feigenspan. ing the use of cpp in open-source projects and industry-especially from the embedded-systems domain-based on a substantial set of subject systems and well-known variability metrics, including size, scattering, and tangling metrics. A key result of our empirical study is that, regarding almost all aspects we studied, the analyzed open-source systems and the considered embedded systems from industry are similar regarding most metrics, including systems that have been developed in industry and made open source at some point. So, our study indicates that, regarding cpp as variability-implementation mechanism, insights, methods, and tools developed based on studies of open-source systems are transferable to industrial systems-at least, with respect to the metrics we considered.

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Section: Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preprocessor-based variability in open-source and industrial software systems: An empirical study

et al. 2015

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“…In our previous study [16], we analyzed the evolution of variability in the code of a real world software product line over four years with the intention of detecting and predicting variability erosion in code in order to take countermeasures as well as to prevent further erosion and thereby maintaining the productivity of the SPL. We introduced the concept of variation point groups (VPG), which helps to understand the realization of variability in the code, and defined metrics to measure the scattering, tangling and nesting of variability elements.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…So a variability can be part of n di↵erent VPGs and each of those VPGs can cause m variation points, either in one or in multiple files (see Figure 1). Figure 1: Variability elements and interdependencies (as found in [16]). …”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coevolution of variability models and code

Hellebrand¹,

Silva

Becker

et al. 2014

Proceedings of the 18th International Software Product Line Conference - Volume 1

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In Software Engineering, reuse of artifacts is essential for high productivity. Di↵erent studies have shown that e cient reuse needs systematic planning and realization. Variability Management plays a key role in Software Product Line Engineering. We investigate code artifacts and variability models of a real-world Software Product Line over time in order to clarify whether code and variability model evolve congeneric. Furthermore, we suggest and test metrics that would allow detecting variability erosion in the code based on changes in the variability model.

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