Genetic programming for Reverse Engineering

This paper overviews the application of Search Based Software Engineering (SBSE) to reverse engineering with a particular emphasis on the growing importance of recent developments in genetic programming and genetic improvement for reverse engineering. This includes work on SBSE for remodularisation, refactoring, regression testing, syntax-preserving slicing and dependence analysis, concept assignment and feature location, bug fixing, and code migration. We also explore the possibilities for new directions in research using GP and GI for partial evaluation, amorphous slicing, and product lines, with a particular focus on code transplantation. This paper accompanies the keynote given by Mark Harman at the 20th Working Conference on Reverse Engineering (WCRE 2013).