An Evolution of Software Metrics
Rajender Singh Chhillar, Sonal Gahlot · 2017
The main goal of software engineering is to produce good quality reusable software within the given time-period, with minimum cost and that satisfies the user's needs. To enhance the quality of the software, number of techniques should be adopted. In the present scenario lots of quantifiable methods/tools are used to measure the various aspects of the software but with the rapid pace of the technology/paradigms. It requires much more effort and research work with the new paradigms. Software metrics measure different attributes of software like size, complexity, reliability, thereby providing useful information about the external quality aspects of software like reusability, maintainability and testability. This paper discusses the evolution of software metrics from traditional function-oriented to object-oriented to component-based to aspect-oriented paradigm along with advantages and limitations of software metrics. As traditional function-oriented metrics lack in quality parameters like reusability, maintainability and so, object-oriented metrics have become one of the popular concepts in today's software development environment. Object-oriented metrics have been widely accepted because of many attributes like reusability, better abstraction, polymorphism, simplicity, time-saving, cost-effectiveness and easy maintenance in the software code. Similarly, component-based and aspect-oriented metrics take this journey forward to achieve these quality aspects in the software more effectively. This paper also describes how these new paradigms help to improve the software quality, system performance and productivity in software development.