A Perspective of Software Reuse
Abstract
In 1980, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) spent over $3 billion on software; by 1990, their expenses are expected to grow to $30 billion per year. Even though expenditures are escalating, productivity is falling behind the demand for new software. The same trends are perceivable throughout the software industry--in private companies and government agencies. Jones (1984) estimates that of all the code written in 1983, probably less than 15 percent is unique, novel, and specific to individual applications. And, estimates are that on the average only about five percent of code is reused. Thus we see an obvious candidate area for increasing productivity and reducing cost--that is, to reuse existing software products to achieve all or part of the redundant 85 percent of the development. Even a one percent gain, relative to DOD's projected $30 billion, could save $300 million In addition to increases in productivity and reduction in costs, software quality should increase due to the greater use and testing of individual components, with the resulting isolation and correction of any problems discovered. (aw)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA216911
Entities
People
- James W. Hooper
Organizations
- University of Alabama in Huntsville