EASy-producer: product line development for variant-rich ecosystems

Development of software product lines requires tool support, e.g., to define variability models, to check variability models for consistency and to derive the artifacts for a specific product. Further capabilities are required when product lines are combined to software ecosystems, i.e., management and development of distributed product lines across multiple different organizations. In this paper, we describe EASy-Producer, a prototypical tool set for the development of software product lines in general and variant-rich ecosystems in particular. To support the product line engineer, EASy-Producer differentiates between simplified views limiting the capabilities and expert views unleashing its full power. We will discuss how these two views support the definition of variability models, the derivation of product configurations and the instantiation of artifacts.