AN INVESTIGATION OF MERGING AND COLLAPSING OF SOFTWARE NETWORKS

S. Jenkins () and S. R. Kirk ()
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S. Jenkins: Department of Technology, Mathematics and Computer Science, University West, Gärdhemsvägen 4, Trollhättan, Sweden, SE 461 29, Sweden
S. R. Kirk: Department of Technology, Mathematics and Computer Science, University West, Gärdhemsvägen 4, Trollhättan, Sweden, SE 461 29, Sweden

Advances in Complex Systems (ACS), 2007, vol. 10, issue 03, 379-393

Abstract: We explore the use of complex networks for understanding of the interaction of computer software applications written in the Java object-oriented language with the "library classes" that they use (those provided by the Java Runtime Environment) as, essentially, a merged network of classes. The dependence of the software on the library is quantified using a recently introduced model that identifies phases close to a second-order phase transition existing in scale-free networks. An example is given of a piece of software whose class network collapses without the presence of the library classes, providing validation of a novel structural coupling measure;Rcoupling. The structural properties of the merged software-Java class networks were found to correlate with the proportion of Java classes contained within the subset delimited byRcoupling. A mechanism for the preservation of the software class network is also provided for the cases studied where the removal of the library classes does not cause collapse.

Keywords: Scale-free network; object oriented software (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1142/S0219525907001173

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