Application Domain Knowledge in Computer ProgramComprehension and Enhancement

TL;DRAbstract

Software development transforms the conceptual models of the application domain into the formal models of the implementation (programming) domain (Blum 1989). The application domain is where the conceptual models, which describe what is to be done and possible approaches for a solution, are generated. These conceptual models account for many of the "essential difficulties" in software development (Brooks 1987). Research investigating software development, however, has focused on the implementation domain or computing element (Glass and Vessey 1992). Recent thinking indicates that investigations into the problems of software development must begin to consider the application domain (e.g., Guindon 1990). Software maintenance is one task where application domain knowledge may play an important role. Maintenance remains important to organizations because maintenance costs, as a percentage of software expense, are expected to remain relatively constant (Foster 1991). Of maintenance activiti

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