what-when-how
In Depth Tutorials and Information
he world of software development has changed considerably since the first few
lines of code were ever written. It has evolved from a single programmer in a room
to many programmers, far and near, who all collaborate on the same design idea.
Not only is the management of information in these projects important, but also
vital is the management of the inherent knowledge of the programmers who may
have experience in this area [1]. As we will discuss in the next few pages, this idea
of different “groups” of programmers can lead to many problems if not handled in
an efficient way.
Often, a good way to start solving the problems that collaborative software
development brings about is to try and decide which tasks are interrelated somehow,
and which ones will require a data connection of some sort. On the same train of
thought, this same algorithm can be extended to work with different sets of pro-
grammers and how they are interconnected based on their current set of projects
and workloads. A good theory has been set out in the research world by many dif-
ferent people in many diferent ways. his generalized theory says that in order to
fully minimize the need for collaborative software development inside of projects,
we need to find the total number of interconnections in the web of data, functions,
and programmers [2]. If these connections are minimized, then less work between
different “groups” of analysts, programmers, and actual function will be required,
meaning the throughput of work will almost certainly rise. his is a reward that is
desired at great cost.
his chapter focuses on two main implementations that have come on the scene
to try and work at this angle, reducing interconnections and making the connec-
tions that do exist less prominent. he stand-alone STeP_IN framework [3] and the
Ariadne framework built for the Eclipse environment [4] are both very successful
solutions to the problem at hand. Not only do these frameworks help to smooth the
transition of knowledge transfer and data interconnection collaborative develop-
ment, but they also keep the programmers' social ecosystem in mind.
Finally, we will discuss the positive and negative impacts of both commercial
off-the-shelf based systems software and customized software development against
each other in order to determine the best way for a system to be designed. Obviously,
different settings and needs will have to be weighed, and this chapter will attempt
to decide which route is the best for certain groups and situations to call for.
15.2 TheNeedforManagingInformation[1]
he software development industry has changed considerably since the first few
lines of code were written. Initially, many different designs and systems were pro-
grammed by an equal number of designers and programmers. People who worked
on these systems worked mainly alone, and in a commonly solitary environment.
his led to monolithic system design patterns, or systems that were not modular
and capable of being broken into diferent pieces or functions very easily. his, in
