CCE Theses and Dissertations

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Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Information Systems (DCIS)

Department

Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences

Advisor

Francisco Mitropoulos

Committee Member

Gregory Simco

Committee Member

Sumitra Mukherjee

Keywords

AOP, Aspect Oriented Programming

Abstract

Aspect oriented programming is a relatively new programming paradigm aimed at improving the development of software through a mechanism that allows for crosscutting concerns to be better modularized. Such concern crosscutting is an element of software artifacts that affects one or more quality attributes and ultimately the ability of software to evolve to meet new functional requirements, or to take advantage of new hardware, or meet new business rules. The aim of this dissertation was to explore the relationship between the degree of crosscutting present in a software artifact and its evolvability. This research study illustrates the correlation between the homogeneity of a program's features and its ability to evolve. Throughout the study, such correlation was drawn from a three pronged approach, first by looking at measuring how invasive code changes are, second by identifying a measurable evolvability indicator, and third by using such indicator to propose changes in program constructs that can enhance or improve the evolvability of it. This study proposed the use of existing concern crosscutting metrics to measure invasiveness of code changes and the variability of such measurements to infer a measurable evolvability indicator. Through this approach a number of contributions were made to the body on knowledge, first the creation of a way to quantify evolvability of Aspect Oriented programmed software, and secondly, a way of identifying parts of an Aspect Oriented artifact that can contribute to the deterioration of the system by hindering its evolvability.

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