Change Management and Version Control of Scientific Applications
Journal
International Journal of Computer Science & Information Technology (IJCSIT) Vol 6, No 2, April 2014
Date Issued
2014-05-08
Author(s)
DOI
10.5121/ijcsit.2014.6211
Abstract
The development process of scientific applications is largely dependent on
scientific progress and the experimental research results. Thus, dealing with
frequent changes is one of the main problems faced by the developers of
scientific software. Taking into account the results of the survey conducted
among scientists in the HP-SEE project, the implementation of change management
and version control software processes is inevitable. In this paper, we propose
software engineering principles that should be included in the development
process to improve the version control and change management. Moreover, we give
some specific recommendations for their implementation, thereby making a slight
modification of already generally accepted templates and methods. The
development steps practiced by scientists should not be replaced completely,
but they need to be supplemented with appropriate practices, documents and
formal methods. We also emphasize the reasons for the inclusion of these two
processes and the consequences that may arise as a result of their
non-application.
scientific progress and the experimental research results. Thus, dealing with
frequent changes is one of the main problems faced by the developers of
scientific software. Taking into account the results of the survey conducted
among scientists in the HP-SEE project, the implementation of change management
and version control software processes is inevitable. In this paper, we propose
software engineering principles that should be included in the development
process to improve the version control and change management. Moreover, we give
some specific recommendations for their implementation, thereby making a slight
modification of already generally accepted templates and methods. The
development steps practiced by scientists should not be replaced completely,
but they need to be supplemented with appropriate practices, documents and
formal methods. We also emphasize the reasons for the inclusion of these two
processes and the consequences that may arise as a result of their
non-application.