Development and instantiation of software product lines supported by a repository that integrates processes, services, components, patterns, and aspects

Abstract

This research project aims at the creation of a framework composed by processes and tools to support the development and instantiation of software product lines. The framework will integrate several existing reuse techniques (e.g. components, services, patterns, and aspects) and product line processes in a systematic way. We are particularly interested in making all these techniques and processes more easily accessible, in a single reuse framework. There are several different processes for developing and instantiating product lines, and our proposed framework will allow the reuse of these processes by adapting them to each particular case, with phases, activities and artifacts adjusted to each use. Tools integrated to the framework will help the software engineer during the process, suggesting existing items from a repository that can be reused along the process. The framework should also consider service oriented architecture and aspect-oriented programming as mechanisms to ease the composition of different software product lines. The project will be developed in cooperation with an important researcher of Lancaster University, which has been working in this area in the last two decades. (AU)