VMTools-RA: a Reference Architecture for Software Variability Tools

Autor(es)

Allian, Ana P. ; Silva, Leandro F. ; Oliveira, Edson ; Nakagawa, Elisa Y.

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: JOURNAL OF UNIVERSAL COMPUTER SCIENCE; v. 29, n. 7, p. 42-pg., 2023-01-01.

Resumo

Currently, software systems must be appropriately developed to support an amount of variability for accommodating different requirements. To support such development, a diversity of tools has already been designed for variability management (i.e., identification, modeling, evaluation, and realization). However, due to this diversity, there is a lack of consensus on what in fact software variability tools are and even what functionalities they should provide. Besides that, the building of new tools is still an effort- and time-consuming task. To support their building, we present VMTools-RA, a reference architecture that encompasses knowledge and practice for developing and evolving variability tools. Designed in a systematic way, VMTools-RA was evaluated throughout: a controlled experiment with software developer practitioners; and an instantiation of the VMTools-RA architecture to implement a software variability tool, named SMartyModeling. As a result, VMTools-RA is evidenced to be feasible and it can be considered an important contribution to the software variability and developers of variability-intensive software systems community, which require specific tools developed in a faster manner with less risk, what a reference architecture could provide. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 16/05919-0 - Gerenciamento de variabilidade em arquiteturas de referência
• Beneficiário: Ana Paula Allian
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 15/24144-7 - Tecnologias e soluções para habilitar o paradigma de nuvens de coisas
• Beneficiário: José Neuman de Souza
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 18/20882-1 - Gerenciamento de Variabilidade em Arquiteturas de Referências
• Beneficiário: Ana Paula Allian
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Exterior - Estágio de Pesquisa - Doutorado