Software Repository Mining

Treasure digging in software development history – Repository Mining

In this research, we aim at supporting software comprehension. By analyzing and arranging software development history, we propose methods to present the corresponding data. Especially, we focus on software repository which is our major data source.

Software Repository refers to a development infrastructure that allows developers to collaborate among others for software development via network. It is also a collective term of version control system that manages source code, as well as a mailing list management system that keeps track of discussions among developers. Majorly used in Open Source Software, software repository has been being practically applied in different software developments. Within software repository, immensive amount of development history data is stored. However, due to the enormous amount of data, it cannot be fully utilized without any proper arrangement

By exploiting these data, the goal of this research field is to perform integration that filters out irrelevant information and summarizes the commons. Furthermore, we also aims at providing developers with useful information in a comprehensible way. Such activities are called as Software Repository Mining.

Our on-going research topics:

• Analyzing the relationship between refactoring and bugs by using development history

  Refactoring refers to improving source code design without changing the behavior of the program. As the renowned pioneer of refactoring, Martin Fowler mentioned that performing refactoring can help to reduce bugs’ mixing into source code in his book. As such, this research aims at clarify such point by estimating the happening of refactoring from source code change log and comparing the results with the bug fix data stored in bug management system.

• A support environment for understanding code clone by using development history

  Code clone refers to the duplicated portion within source code. In this research, we aim at constructing an environment that presents the transition of code clone in a comprehensible way by utilizing the development history in version control system. Click for more details (in Japanese)．

• MUDABlue: System for automatically classifying software

  Massive number of software are registered in software repository. In this research, we aim at facilitating the reuse of software as well as communication between developers by providing mechanism that can discover similar software from software repository. Click for more details (in Japanese).

• Extracting and Analyzing micro process

  For improving software process, it is mandatory to perform analysis not only at organization level, but also at individual level such as micro process. In this research group, based on the data collected from software development, we aim at extracting and analyzing micro process. Click for more details (in Japanese)

• Analyzing Design Pattern by using history information

  Design Pattern refers to a set of reusable know-how which is accumulated from design stage in software development. Although it has been considered that software quality could be improved by applying design pattern, the actual case has not be clarified yet. Therefore, in this research project, we aim at revealing the relationship between usage of design pattern and software quality.

• Analyzing development project based on the co-occurrence information between developers

  In open source software development, project activity is a critical factor that largely influences the software quality. In this research group, by focusing on the mailing lists used in software development, we attempt to predict how the co-occurrence between developers may affect the project.