Using resemblance to support component reuse and evolution

ABSTRACT

The aim of a component-based approach to software is to allow the construction of a system by reusing and connecting together a number of existing components. To successfully reuse a component, alterations generally need to be made to it, particularly if the abstraction level is high. However, existing usage of a component means that it cannot be altered without affecting the systems that reuse it already. This leads to a dilemma which frustrates the goals of the compositional approach to reuse.To help resolve this dilemma, we introduce the resemblance construct, allowing a new component to be defined in terms of changes to a base component. This allows us to effectively alter a base component for reuse, without affecting the existing definition or any users of the component. We use an example to show how this and other constructs ameliorate the reuse problems of complex, possibly composite, components.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
        D.2.11 Software Architectures
            Subjects: Languages (e.g., description, interconnection, definition)

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
        D.2.13 Reusable Software
            Subjects: Reuse models

General Terms:
Design, Languages

Keywords:
architecture, components, composition, modelling, reuse