Using Open Source Software in Reuse-Intensive Software Development - A Qualitative Study

Open Source Software (OSS) is one of the emerging areas in software engineering. Reuse of OSS is employed in reuse-intensive software development such as Component Based Software Development and Software Product Lines. OSS is gaining the interest of the software development community due to its enormous benefits. The context of this study is the use of OSS in reuse-intensive software development. The use of OSS in the systematic reuse of software, such as in Software Product Lines (SPLs) is a new phenomenon. The aim of this study is to identify the different dimensions of this phenomenon. In this study, a qualitative method, namely the interview, is used to acquire data. Interviews are conducted with seven respondents. The data is analyzed using an adapted form of grounded theory. The results of this study include seven categories and their 39 subcategories / dimensions. The results of the study are compared with contemporary studies in this area to highlight the contributions and to complement them. The findings of this study provide an in-depth view of the issues related to the use of OSS in reuse-intensive software development. These findings will help the community to improve their practices and to initiate steps to cope with the challenges.

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