Understanding the impact of mobile app markets on software practice

了解移动应用市场对软件实践的影响

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-04618
• 负责人: Nagappan, Meiyappan
• 金额: $ 4.08万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=750220
• 关键词: Understanding; impact; mobile; app; markets

Recent market studies predict that the global mobile app economy is expected to be worth $143 billion by end of 2016. However, unlike traditional software, the distribution mechanism for software applications on mobile devices (or mobile apps) is very different - they are released through app markets (e.g., Google Play, or Apple's App store). Such app markets have changed the way software developers interact with users, the way software is released, and the way users consume the software. There are three types of developers that belong to the app market ecosystem: (a) the developer that builds and releases the apps (eg., Rovio Entertainment that released Angry Birds), (b) the developers that build software libraries that are used across many different apps (eg., the Facebook SDK library), and (c) the developers that build and maintain the app store (eg., Google/BlackBerry). The long-term goal of my research agenda is to examine the impact that this new distribution mechanism has had on the practice of Software Engineering (SE), and to identify challenges and build both knowledge and solutions that can help the different types of developers that are part of the mobile app ecosystem. In the short term, the proposed research program plans to analyze the data that is publicly available in the app markets (app binary, user comments, release notes, app popularity etc.) to make recommendations to the different types of developers so that the end user has a better experience using the app. For example, we want to investigate if app developers are using outdated libraries with known security vulnerabilities. The deliverables from the proposed research program are going to be both empirical results that will shed new light on current software engineering practice, as well as tools that practitioners can use to build better quality apps at a quicker pace. The proposed research program is expected to train 3 HQP (PhD students). Finally, these app markets, which are now standard for mobile apps, are getting popular for desktop apps, video/console games, apps for the Internet of Things, and even open source apps. Thus the lessons we learn from the mature mobile app markets could also be translated to the other upcoming markets thereby enhancing the experience of the various types of developers. Such lessons could give Canadian developers an early advantage to become successful in emerging markets.

最近的市场研究预测，到2016年底，全球移动的应用经济预计将达到1430亿美元。但是，与传统软件不同，移动的设备上的软件应用程序（或移动的应用程序）的分发机制非常不同-它们通过应用程序市场发布（例如，Google Play或Apple的App store）。这样的应用市场改变了软件开发者与用户互动的方式、软件发布的方式以及用户消费软件的方式。有三种类型的开发者属于应用市场生态系统：（a）构建和发布应用的开发者（例如，发布愤怒的小鸟的Rovio娱乐公司），（B）构建跨许多不同应用程序使用的软件库的开发人员（例如，Facebook SDK库），以及（c）构建和维护应用商店的开发人员（例如，谷歌/黑莓）。我的研究议程的长期目标是研究这种新的分发机制对软件工程（SE）实践的影响，并确定挑战，建立知识和解决方案，以帮助移动的应用生态系统中不同类型的开发人员。在短期内，拟议的研究计划计划将分析应用程序市场中公开的数据（应用程序二进制文件，用户评论，发布说明，应用程序受欢迎程度等）。向不同类型的开发人员提出建议，以便最终用户在使用应用程序时获得更好的体验。例如，我们希望调查应用程序开发人员是否正在使用具有已知安全漏洞的过时库。从拟议的研究计划的交付将是两个实证结果，将揭示当前的软件工程实践，以及从业者可以用来以更快的速度构建更高质量的应用程序的工具。该研究项目预计将培养3名HQP（博士生）。最后，这些应用程序市场现在是移动的应用程序的标准，桌面应用程序、视频/控制台游戏、物联网应用程序甚至开源应用程序也越来越受欢迎。因此，我们从成熟的移动的应用程序市场中吸取的经验教训也可以转化为其他即将到来的市场，从而增强各种类型的开发人员的经验。这些经验教训可能会给加拿大开发商在新兴市场取得成功的早期优势。