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A Case Study in Evidence-Based DSL Evolution

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Modelling Foundations and Applications (ECMFA 2013)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNPSE,volume 7949))

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Abstract

Domain-specific languages (dsls) can significantly increase productivity and quality in software construction. However, even dsl programs need to evolve to accomodate changing requirements and circumstances. How can we know if the design of a dsl supports the relevant evolution scenarios on its programs? We present an experimental approach to evaluate the evolutionary capabilities of a dsl and apply it on a dsl for digital forensics, called DERRIC. Our results indicate that the majority of required changes to DERRIC programs are easily expressed. However, some scenarios suggest that the dsl design can be improved to prevent future maintenance problems. Our experimental approach can be considered first steps towards evidence-based dsl evolution.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jeroen van den Bos & Tijs van der Storm

  2. Netherlands Forensic Institute, Den Haag, The Netherlands

    Jeroen van den Bos

Authors
  1. Jeroen van den Bos
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  2. Tijs van der Storm
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Industrial Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Pieter Van Gorp

  2. Fraunhofer FOKUS, Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 31, 10589, Berlin, Germany

    Tom Ritter

  3. Department of Computer Science, University of York, Dearmore Lane, Heslington, AO10 5GH, York, UK

    Louis M. Rose

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van den Bos, J., van der Storm, T. (2013). A Case Study in Evidence-Based DSL Evolution. In: Van Gorp, P., Ritter, T., Rose, L.M. (eds) Modelling Foundations and Applications. ECMFA 2013. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 7949. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39013-5_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39013-5_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-39012-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-39013-5

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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