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Software Design
Software design is the process by which an agent creates a specification of a software artifact intended to accomplish goals, using a set of primitive components and subject to constraints. Software design may refer to either "all the activity involved in conceptualizing, framing, implementing, commissioning, and ultimately modifying complex systems" or "the activity following requirements specification and before programming, as ... na stylized software engineering process." Software design usually involves problem-solving and planning a software solution. This includes both a low-level component and algorithm design and a high-level, architecture design. Overview Software design is the process of envisioning and defining software solutions to one or more sets of problems. One of the main components of software design is the software requirements analysis (SRA). SRA is a part of the software development process that lists specifications used in software engineering. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agency (philosophy)
Agency is the capacity of an actor to act in a given environment. It is independent of the moral dimension, which is called moral agency. In ''sociology'', an agent is an individual engaging with the social structure. Notably, though, the primacy of social structure vs. individual capacity with regard to persons' actions is debated within sociology. This debate concerns, at least partly, the level of reflexivity an agent may possess. Agency may either be classified as unconscious, involuntary behavior, or purposeful, goal directed activity (intentional action). An agent typically has some sort of immediate awareness of their physical activity and the goals that the activity is aimed at realizing. In ‘goal directed action’ an agent implements a kind of direct control or guidance over their own behavior. Human agency Agency is contrasted to objects reacting to natural forces involving only unthinking deterministic processes. In this respect, agency is subtly distinct from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Automation
Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines. Automation has been achieved by various means including mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic devices, and computers, usually in combination. Complicated systems, such as modern factories, airplanes, and ships typically use combinations of all of these techniques. The benefit of automation includes labor savings, reducing waste, savings in electricity costs, savings in material costs, and improvements to quality, accuracy, and precision. Automation includes the use of various equipment and control systems such as machinery, processes in factories, boilers, and heat-treating ovens, switching on telephone networks, steering, and stabilization of ships, aircraft, and other applications and vehicles with red ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Modularity
Broadly speaking, modularity is the degree to which a system's components may be separated and recombined, often with the benefit of flexibility and variety in use. The concept of modularity is used primarily to reduce complexity by breaking a system into varying degrees of interdependence and independence across and "hide the complexity of each part behind an abstraction and interface". However, the concept of modularity can be extended to multiple disciplines, each with their own nuances. Despite these nuances, consistent themes concerning modular systems can be identified. Contextual nuances The meaning of the word "modularity" can vary somewhat based on context. The following are contextual examples of modularity across several fields of science, technology, industry, and culture: Science *In biology, modularity recognizes that organisms or metabolic pathways are composed of modules. *In ecology, modularity is considered a key factor—along with diversity and feedback—in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Program Refinement
Refinement is a generic term of computer science that encompasses various approaches for producing correct computer programs and simplifying existing programs to enable their formal verification. Program refinement In formal methods, program refinement is the verifiable transformation of an ''abstract'' (high-level) formal specification into a ''concrete'' (low-level) executable program. ''Stepwise refinement'' allows this process to be done in stages. Logically, refinement normally involves implication, but there can be additional complications. The progressive just-in-time preparation of the product backlog (requirements list) in agile software development approaches, such as Scrum, is also commonly described as refinement. Data refinement Data refinement is used to convert an abstract data model (in terms of sets for example) into implementable data structures (such as arrays). Operation refinement converts a specification of an operation on a system into an impleme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abstraction (computer Science)
In software engineering and computer science, abstraction is: * The process of removing or generalizing physical, spatial, or temporal details or attributes in the study of objects or systems to focus attention on details of greater importance; it is similar in nature to the process of generalization; * the creation of abstract concept-objects by mirroring common features or attributes of various non-abstract objects or systems of study – the result of the process of abstraction. Abstraction, in general, is a fundamental concept in computer science and software development. The process of abstraction can also be referred to as modeling and is closely related to the concepts of ''theory'' and ''design''. Models can also be considered types of abstractions per their generalization of aspects of reality. Abstraction in computer science is closely related to abstraction in mathematics due to their common focus on building abstractions as objects, but is also related to other ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Design Patterns
''Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software'' (1994) is a software engineering book describing software design patterns. The book was written by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, and John Vlissides, with a foreword by Grady Booch. The book is divided into two parts, with the first two chapters exploring the capabilities and pitfalls of object-oriented programming, and the remaining chapters describing 23 classic software design patterns. The book includes examples in C++ and Smalltalk. It has been influential to the field of software engineering and is regarded as an important source for object-oriented design theory and practice. More than 500,000 copies have been sold in English and in 13 other languages. The authors are often referred to as the Gang of Four (GoF). History The book started at a birds of a feather (BoF) session at OOPSLA '90, "Towards an Architecture Handbook", run by Bruce Anderson, where Erich Gamma and Richard Helm met a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Software Framework
In computer programming, a software framework is an abstraction in which software, providing generic functionality, can be selectively changed by additional user-written code, thus providing application-specific software. It provides a standard way to build and deploy applications and is a universal, reusable software environment that provides particular functionality as part of a larger software platform to facilitate the development of software applications, products and solutions. Software frameworks may include support programs, compilers, code libraries, toolsets, and application programming interfaces (APIs) that bring together all the different components to enable development of a project or system. Frameworks have key distinguishing features that separate them from normal libraries: * '' inversion of control'': In a framework, unlike in libraries or in standard user applications, the overall program's flow of control is not dictated by the caller, but by the fra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platform-specific Model
A platform-specific model is a model of a software or business system that is linked to a specific technological platform (e.g. a specific programming language, operating system, document file format or database). Platform-specific models are indispensable for the actual implementation of a system. For example, a need to implement an online shop. The system will need to store information regarding users, goods, credit cards, etc. The designer might decide to use for this purpose an Oracle database. For this to work, the designer will need to express concepts (e.g. the concept of a user) in a relational model using the Oracle's SQL dialect. This Oracle's specific relational model is an example of a ''Platform-specific model''. The term ''platform-specific model'' is most frequently used in the context of the MDA approach. This MDA approach corresponds the OMG vision of Model Driven Engineering. The main idea is that it should be possible to use a MTL to transform a Platfo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platform-independent Model
A platform-independent model (PIM) in software engineering is a model of a software system or business system that is independent of the specific technological platform used to implement it. The term platform-independent model is most frequently used in the context of the model-driven architecture approach. This model-driven architecture approach corresponds to the Object Management Group vision of model-driven engineering. The main idea is that it should be possible to use a model transformation language to transform a platform-independent model into a platform-specific model. In order to achieve this transformation, one can use a language compliant to the newly defined QVT standard. Examples of such languages are VIATRA or ATLAS Transformation Language. It means execution of the program is not restricted by the type of operating system used. Related concepts * Domain-specific modelling * Eclipse Modeling Framework * Generic Modeling Environment * Graphical Modeli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Documentation
Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance and use. As a form of knowledge management and knowledge organization, documentation can be provided on paper, online, or on digital or analog media, such as audio tape or CDs. Examples are user guides, white papers, online help, and quick-reference guides. Paper or hard-copy documentation has become less common. Documentation is often distributed via websites, software products, and other online applications. Documentation as a set of instructional materials shouldn't be confused with documentation science, the study of the recording and retrieval of information. Principles for producing documentation While associated ISO standards are not easily available publicly, a guide from other sources for this topic may serve the purpose.,, Documentation development may invol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fundamental Modeling Concepts
Fundamental modeling concepts (FMC) provide a framework to describe software-intensive systems. It strongly emphasizes the communication about software-intensive systems by using a semi-formal graphical notation that can easily be understood. Introduction FMC distinguishes three perspectives to look at a software system: * Structure of the system * Processes in the system * Value domains of the system FMC defines a dedicated diagram type for each perspective. FMC diagrams use a simple and lean notation. The purpose of FMC diagrams is to facilitate the communication about a software system, not only between technical experts but also between technical experts and business or domain experts. The comprehensibility of FMC diagrams has made them famous among its supporters. The common approach when working with FMC is to start with a high-level diagram of the compositional structure of a system. This “big picture” diagram serves as a reference in the communication with all invol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unified Modeling Language
The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a general-purpose, developmental modeling language in the field of software engineering that is intended to provide a standard way to visualize the design of a system. The creation of UML was originally motivated by the desire to standardize the disparate notational systems and approaches to software design. It was developed at Rational Software in 1994–1995, with further development led by them through 1996. In 1997, UML was adopted as a standard by the Object Management Group (OMG), and has been managed by this organization ever since. In 2005, UML was also published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as an approved ISO standard. Since then the standard has been periodically revised to cover the latest revision of UML. In software engineering, most practitioners do not use UML, but instead produce informal hand drawn diagrams; these diagrams, however, often include elements from UML. History Before UML ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
