Feature Models in Linux - From Symbols to Semantic

Rothberg V, Dintzner N, Ziegler A, Lohmann D (2016)

Publication Type: Conference contribution, Original article

Publication year: 2016

Publisher: ACM Press

City/Town: New York, NY, USA

Pages Range: 65-72

Conference Proceedings Title: Proceedings of the Tenth International Workshop on Variability Modelling of Software-intensive Systems

Event location: Salvador, Brazil

ISBN: 978-1-4503-4019-9

URI: https://www4.cs.fau.de/Publications/2016/rothberg_16_vamos.pdf

DOI: 10.1145/2866614.2866624

Abstract

Linux is a highly configurable operating-system kernel which has been widely studied in the context of software product lines over the past years. Understanding the challenges and perils of evolving and maintaining feature models of the size of Linux is crucial to provide the right tools for development today and to direct future research. Unfortunately, previous studies show contradictory observations when analyzing the evolution of Linux feature models. We explain how peculiarities of the feature models of the Linux kernel lead to those differing observations, and show how the results can be re-aligned. Moreover, our findings also demonstrate that symbolic differencing on feature models used by researchers so far has limited value, depending on the use case. We show how the limitations can be addressed by means of semantic differencing, and ironically invalidate the results we sought to re-align.

Authors with CRIS profile

Valentin Rothberg Lehrstuhl für Informatik 4 (Verteilte Systeme und Betriebssysteme) Andreas Ziegler Lehrstuhl für Informatik 4 (Verteilte Systeme und Betriebssysteme) Daniel Lohmann Lehrstuhl für Informatik 4 (Verteilte Systeme und Betriebssysteme)

Related research project(s)

Configurability Aware Development of Operating Systems (CADOS) May 1, 2014 - May 1, 2017

Involved external institutions

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) NL Netherlands (NL)

How to cite

APA:

Rothberg, V., Dintzner, N., Ziegler, A., & Lohmann, D. (2016). Feature Models in Linux - From Symbols to Semantic. In Proceedings of the Tenth International Workshop on Variability Modelling of Software-intensive Systems (pp. 65-72). Salvador, Brazil: New York, NY, USA: ACM Press.

MLA:

Rothberg, Valentin, et al. "Feature Models in Linux - From Symbols to Semantic." Proceedings of the 10th International Workshop on Variability Modelling of Software-intensive Systems (VaMoS '16), Salvador, Brazil New York, NY, USA: ACM Press, 2016. 65-72.

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