Measuring the domain-oriented quality of diff algorithms

Gioele Barabucci, Paolo Ciancarini, Angelo Di Iorio, Fabio Vitali

Abstract

Software changes over time: not only the source code but also its models and documentation, configuration files, messages payloads, and so on. Diff algorithms help users to track such evolution. These algorithms vary a lot in terms of efficiency, resources consumption, internal strategies and final results. The focus of this paper is on measuring and comparing the quality of the output produced by these algorithms. There is no univocal definition of quality in this context. We propose a top-down approach to characterise deltas, in order to investigate which is the most suitable algorithm for a given domain and a given class of users. Some measuring experiments on XML diff algorithms are presented too.

Keywords

Software quality, diff algorithms, software metrics, document analysis, change management

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IMEKO-TC4-2014-408.pdf

DOI

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IMEKO TC

TC4 - Measurement of Electrical Quantities

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