Leveraging Open-Source Reuse: Implications for Software Maintenance

Raghavendra Sridhar

Abstract: The increasing popularity of Open Source Software (OSS) has positioned its use in maintenance activities as a significant area of interest. However, dedicated research into reuse-based maintenance strategies specifically for OSS remains limited. To address this, our work began by identifying key attributes and metrics of OSS maintenance processes through a comprehensive literature study. Building on these findings, we have proposed a framework model designed to facilitate the reuse of OSS applications in software maintenance, addressing the current lack of well-specified guidelines for such practices. Our framework aims to streamline the process, effectively bridging the gap between receiving a change request and implementing a reuse-based maintenance solution leveraging OSS.

Keywords: Open source software (OSS), software maintenance, maintenance process models, reuse-based maintenance, OSS customization, component reuse, software evolution, modularity analysis, change management, software quality