Using Program Slicing to Size Code Change

这是一项为期12个月的初步调查，调查软件系统中程序切片的特征是否有助于预测更改请求的代码更改大小。程序切片越来越多地被软件开发人员用作支持系统维护的工具。开发人员使用程序切片来确定可能受特定维护更改影响的代码元素。开发切片的最初目的是允许开发人员执行更高质量的代码调试。事实证明，切片对于调试是有效的，因为它侧重于与更改代码相关的代码结构。我们建议调查表征程序切片的数据是否可能有更广泛的应用，特别是了解系统中程序切片的特征是否可以预测更改请求的代码更改大小。这将允许更有效地规划对该系统的改变。我们将使用两个长期存在的开源软件系统的切片特征来研究这些问题。我们将使用多元回归技术来研究这些开放源码系统中向前和向后切片的特征与针对每个系统的更改请求的代码更改大小之间的关系。如果这项初步调查成功，将在随后提出的调查工业商业系统的提案中予以扩展。

This is a proposal for a 12 month preliminary investigation into whether the characteristics of program slices in a software system can help to predict the size of code change for a change request. Program slicing is increasingly used by software developers as a tool to support the maintenance of systems. Developers use program slicing to identify elements of the code that may be affected by particular maintenance changes. The original aim behind the development of slicing was to allow developers to perform higher quality code debugging. Slicing has proved to be effective for debugging because it focuses on the structure of code relevant to making a change to that code. We propose to investigate whether data characterising program slices might have wider application, in particular whether understanding the characteristics of the program slices in a system could allow the predication of the size of code change for a change request. This will allow more effective planning of changes to that system. We will investigate these issues using the slicing characteristics of two long-lived open source software systems. We will use multiple regression techniques to investigate the relationship between the characteristics of both forward and backward slices in these open source systems and the size of code change for change requests to each of these systems. This preliminary investigation, if successful, will be extended in subsequent proposals to investigate commercial systems in industry.