Mätzel K.-U.
Bischofberger W.R.

Abstract

Object technology enables software developers to implement flexible, extensible, and adaptable systems. Important approaches to provide systems with these features are frameworks and design pattern-guided design. Nevertheless, object systems just like more traditional ones are hard to adapt to requirement changes, which are unpredictable at the system's development time. In this paper, we discuss the potential of object technology to build systems that are prepared for change. Evolution in general and undirected evolution of object systems in particular are investigated. We elaborate system properties which we consider crucial in consideration of adaptations to unpredictably changing requirements. We consolidate our experience in a collection of design and implementation ideas reaching from general to technically detailed. These ideas are helpful for designers and developers who intend to make systems more flexibly adaptable or to a certain degree self-adaptive to the requirement changes

[Mat96a] Mätzel K.-U. and Bischofberger W.R.. Evolution of Object Systems - How to Tackle the Slippage Problem. In Mätzel K.-U., Frei H.P. (editors), Computer Science Research at Ubilab, Research Projects 1995/96; Proceedings of the Ubilab Conference '96, pages 99-119, Universitätsverlag Konstanz, Konstanz, November 1996.

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