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Studying Software Architecture Through Design Spaces and Rules

Technical Report
The 1990 report describes a multi-dimensional design space that classifies system architectures.
Publisher

Software Engineering Institute

CMU/SEI Report Number
CMU/SEI-90-TR-018

Abstract

This report argues that the overall structure of software systems (software architecture) is usefully studied by constructing design spaces. A design space identifies the key functional and structural choices made in creating a system design, and it classifies the alternatives available for each choice. Rules can be formulated to relate choices within a design space. Sets of such rules are a valuable design aid and offer a promising route to automatic structural design. By codifying design practice, design spaces can also aid software maintenance and training. To support this argument, the report describes a design space and associated rules for user interface software, and it discusses an experiment that validated these design rules by comparing their predictions to real system designs.

Cite This Technical Report

Lane, T. (1990, November 1). Studying Software Architecture Through Design Spaces and Rules. (Technical Report CMU/SEI-90-TR-018). Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/library/studying-software-architecture-through-design-spaces-and-rules/.

@techreport{lane_1990,
author={Lane, Thomas},
title={Studying Software Architecture Through Design Spaces and Rules},
month={{Nov},
year={{1990},
number={{CMU/SEI-90-TR-018},
howpublished={Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute's Digital Library},
url={https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/library/studying-software-architecture-through-design-spaces-and-rules/},
note={Accessed: 2024-Dec-22}
}

Lane, Thomas. "Studying Software Architecture Through Design Spaces and Rules." (CMU/SEI-90-TR-018). Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute's Digital Library. Software Engineering Institute, November 1, 1990. https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/library/studying-software-architecture-through-design-spaces-and-rules/.

T. Lane, "Studying Software Architecture Through Design Spaces and Rules," Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute's Digital Library. Software Engineering Institute, Technical Report CMU/SEI-90-TR-018, 1-Nov-1990 [Online]. Available: https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/library/studying-software-architecture-through-design-spaces-and-rules/. [Accessed: 22-Dec-2024].

Lane, Thomas. "Studying Software Architecture Through Design Spaces and Rules." (Technical Report CMU/SEI-90-TR-018). Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute's Digital Library, Software Engineering Institute, 1 Nov. 1990. https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/library/studying-software-architecture-through-design-spaces-and-rules/. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Lane, Thomas. Studying Software Architecture Through Design Spaces and Rules. CMU/SEI-90-TR-018. Software Engineering Institute. 1990. https://insights.sei.cmu.edu/library/studying-software-architecture-through-design-spaces-and-rules/