Abstract
Recognizing that programming is basically remixing, this chapter looks into the cognitive, social, and practical aspects of searching for and using existing code in a programming task. A code search mechanism undoubtedly plays an essential supporting role in a developer’s search for code in his or her own programming task. Supporting code search activities, however, demands more than code search mechanisms. At the same time, code search mechanisms also help a developer in a wider spectrum of programming activities. We present the anatomy of the cognitive activity in which a developer searches for existing code, and we propose efficacy and attitude as two dimensions depicting code search activity. We discuss areas of necessary technical and socio-technical support for code search activities in addition to code search mechanisms. We conclude the chapter by calling for a developer-centered remixing-oriented development environment.
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Notes
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Note that by “code reuse,” we mean a developer’s action of simply using existing code in the developer’s task, and do not necessarily mean a part of more established areas of research on software reuse in software engineering.
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Nakakoji, K., Yamamoto, Y., Nishinaka, Y. (2013). Unweaving Code Search Toward Remixing-Centered Programming Support. In: Sim, S.E., Gallardo-Valencia, R.E. (eds) Finding Source Code on the Web for Remix and Reuse. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6596-6_2
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