The Role of Program Structure in Software Maintenance.

Abstract

This research explores the effect of program structure on software modifiability. In this research, undergraduate computer science majors and professional programmers were asked to make either easy or difficult modifications to programs. these programs had been generated using each of three different design methodologies: in-line code, functional decomposition, and a form of object-oriented design. Further, the programmers' mental models of the structure of the programs they had studied was examined. The results suggest that problem structure, problem type, and ease of modification all affect performance. Further, they suggest that while the pattern of results is similar for professional and student programmers, the exact nature of the effect depends on the group to which the programmer belongs. Keywords: Software engineering; Software experiments; Modern programming practices; Program design methodologies; Software human factors; Functional decomposition; Jackson program. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 29, 1986
Accession Number
ADA168775

Entities

People

  • Alan C. Schultz
  • Deborah A. Boehm-davis
  • Robert W. Holt

Organizations

  • George Mason University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Sensors
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Applied Psychology
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computer Science
  • Computers
  • Databases
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Information Processing
  • Information Science
  • Lists (Data Structures)
  • Maintenance
  • Military Research
  • Psychology
  • Software Development
  • Students
  • Systems Engineering

Fields of Study

  • Computer science
  • Engineering

Readers

  • Parallel and Distributed Computing.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Theoretical Analysis.