Do bad smells indicate "trouble" in code?

ABSTRACT

In 1999 Fowler et al. identified 22 Bad Smells in code to direct the effective refactoring. These are increasingly being used by software engineers. However, the empirical basis of using Bad Smells to direct refactoring and to address 'trouble' in code is not clear. Our project aims to empirically investigate the impact of Bad Smells on software in terms of their relationship to faults.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.7 Distribution, Maintenance, and Enhancement
          Subjects: Restructuring, reverse engineering, and reengineering

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Human Factors, Reliability

Keywords:
bad smells, faults, open source