Role of Program Structure in Software Maintenance

摘要

This research explores the effect of program structure on software modifiability. In this research, undergraduate computer science majors and professional programmers were asked to make either easy or difficult modifications to programs. these programs had been generated using each of three different design methodologies: in-line code, functional decomposition, and a form of object-oriented design. Further, the programmers' mental models of the structure of the programs they had studied was examined. The results suggest that problem structure, problem type, and ease of modification all affect performance. Further, they suggest that while the pattern of results is similar for professional and student programmers, the exact nature of the effect depends on the group to which the programmer belongs. Keywords: Software engineering; Software experiments; Modern programming practices; Program design methodologies; Software human factors; Functional decomposition; Jackson program. (Author)