Towards Providing Software Component Interoperability Information on the WWW

Motivation and Overview

Expected Proliferation of Software Components

Issues of Component Interoperability

- Developers: cooperation, info about other components

- Users: component configuration management

Overview

- Express interoperability information

- ... Define and support software process model ...

- Publish this information on the WWW

Classification of Interoperability Information Levels

1. Interface Level

- Structural information only

- Insufficient for component management

2. Originator Level

- Our pragmatic proposal

- Dependency and version information

- From development context, extracted from process

3. Semantic Level

- Functionality

- Extensive but not feasible

A 3D Model for Software Development Processes

Process Model Derived from Product Structure

- Hierarchic 2D structure of object dependencies, concurrent workflow

- 3rd dimension stores history (object versions)

- Process linking

Process Carries Originator Level Interoperability Information

- Dependencies, links, evolution, versions

Implementation in GIPSY [HREF3] Process Framework for Cooperative SW Engineering

Visualization on the WWW

WWW allows Navigation and Browsing without Process Framework

WWW View represents Static Snapshot

Automatic Mapping of 3D Process Structure to WWW

- One HTML page per process element

- Dependencies as hyperlinks

- 2D and 3D graphics show process structure

- Objects generate appropriate views of their contents

Representation on the WWW

Interoperability and Applications

Navigation

Hyperlink Browsers

Electronic Component Marketing on WWW

Queries

Sample Component Configurations

Configuration Validation and Installation

Conclusions

Prototype Implementation Demonstrates Feasibility of Proposed Originator Level

Extraction and Publication on WWW of Information that is Available in Development Processes

Contribution to Electronic Software Catalog for Electronic Software Market on WWW