Four interesting ways in which history can teach us about software
Michael W. Godfrey · 2004
This paper outlines four kinds of studies that we have undertaken in trying to understand various aspects of a software system's evolutionary history. In each instance, the studies have involved detailed examination of real software systems based on "facts" extracted from various kinds of source artifact repositories, as well as the development of accompanying tools to aid in the extraction, abstraction, and comprehension processes. We briefly discuss the goals, results, and methodology of each approach.