Software Maintenance And Evolution ARoadmap

By KeithBennett and VaclavRajlich.

In A Finkelstein (ed.) The Future of Software Engineering, ACM Press, 2000. (event colocated with ICSE 2000).

Abstract

SoftwareMaintenance and SoftwareEvolution are characterised by their huge cost and slow speed of implementation. Yet they are inevitable activities almost all software that is useful and successful stimulates user-generated requests for change and improvements. Our aim is to describe a landscape for research in software maintenance and evolution over the next ten years, in order to improve the speed and accuracy of change while reducing costs, by identifying key problems, promising solution strategies and topics of importance. The aims are met, by taking two approaches. Firstly current trends and practices are projected forward using a new model of software evolution called the staged model. Both strategic problems and research to solve particular tactical problems are described within this framework. Secondly, a longer term, and much more radical vision of software evolution is presented. Both general principles and specific research topics are provided, both within an overall strategy of engineering research and rationale.

http://www.softwaresystems.org/evolution.html, http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/A.Finkelstein/fose/finalbennett.pdf