%0 Journal Article %1 lehman03 %A Lehman, Meir M. %A Ramil, Juan F. %D 2003 %J Inf. Process. Lett. %K 2106 evolution litmap msr software %N 1-2 %P 33--44 %R doi:10.1016/S0020-0190(03)00382-X %T Software evolution - Background, theory, practice. %U http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/S0020-0190(03)00382-X %V 88 %X This paper opens with a brief summary of some 30 years of study of the software evolution phenomenon. The results of those studies include the SPE program classification, a principle of software uncertainty and laws of E-type software evolution. The laws were termed so because they encapsulate phenomena largely independent of the people, the organisations and the domains involved in the evolution of the E-type systems studied. Recent studies have refined earlier conclusions, yielded practical guidelines for software evolution management and provide a basis for the formation of a theory of software evolution. Given the volume of published material and the extent of recent discussions on the topic (see, e.g., Proc. ICSM, Montreal, 2002, p. 66), this paper is restricted to an overview that exposes the significance of the evolution phenomenon and its study to the wider community, providing a basis for the future and, in particular, development of a theory of software evolution.

@article{lehman03, abstract = {This paper opens with a brief summary of some 30 years of study of the software evolution phenomenon. The results of those studies include the SPE program classification, a principle of software uncertainty and laws of E-type software evolution. The laws were termed so because they encapsulate phenomena largely independent of the people, the organisations and the domains involved in the evolution of the E-type systems studied. Recent studies have refined earlier conclusions, yielded practical guidelines for software evolution management and provide a basis for the formation of a theory of software evolution. Given the volume of published material and the extent of recent discussions on the topic (see, e.g., [Proc. ICSM, Montreal, 2002, p. 66]), this paper is restricted to an overview that exposes the significance of the evolution phenomenon and its study to the wider community, providing a basis for the future and, in particular, development of a theory of software evolution.}, added-at = {2006-03-24T16:34:33.000+0100}, author = {Lehman, Meir M. and Ramil, Juan F.}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/245d3ffeb6126e3552a4c42d6693d0a4f/neilernst}, citeulike-article-id = {265819}, comment = {- work originating from IBM o/s 360 project - can software evolution be considered a disciplined phenomena? - software and its developers form a system which has feedback - "at a high level of abstraction the software process and the products it produces display a degree of regularity, patterns, trends, long term limits, similar evolutionary behaviour across a variety of commercially developed and marketed software systems ... despite low level behavioural variations" p 35 - explains the positivist bias of the FEAST studies (repeated validation) - but can the FEAST hypotheses be easily refuted? That is, can they be easily proven erroneous? I suspect it's very difficult to do so. - e.g. most of the references are to his own work; how does that validate his approach?}, description = {sdasda}, doi = {doi:10.1016/S0020-0190(03)00382-X}, interhash = {9a30670cae43ce5f4c585caa88c2c376}, intrahash = {45d3ffeb6126e3552a4c42d6693d0a4f}, journal = {Inf. Process. Lett.}, keywords = {2106 evolution litmap msr software}, number = {1-2}, pages = {33--44}, priority = {0}, timestamp = {2009-03-03T22:26:01.000+0100}, title = {Software evolution - Background, theory, practice.}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/S0020-0190(03)00382-X}, volume = 88, year = 2003 }