Software evolution from a time-series perspective

Abstract

The last decade of research in the software evolution field has resulted in successful empirical models for software systems growth. Although the models are able to forecast the growth trend of a number of software systems, there are still inconsistencies that must be addressed before the models can be incorporated into a final theory of software evolution. This study applies an innovative approach: the application of time series analysis techniques to historical data of software systems growth. Preliminary results have found the presence of anticorrelations in the data, phenomena that would validate some laws of software evolution.