Entropy-Based Measurement for Software

Component-based software systems are becoming larger and more complex. The quantification of these systems is possible through re-presentation in a hierarchical structure with the use of software metrics. Metrics provide information about such features as complexity, design, quality, size, development time, effort, and cost. Entropy-based software metrics promise important improvements in measuring complexity, design quality, and information flow. The proposed measurement framework in this book offers quantitative representation and de-composition methods to apply entropy-based metrics. By using this measurement framework, the developer could achieve a hierarchical representation of the system which would clarify the logic flow and quantify the interaction between the components. The framework targets the design and evolution phases in component-based systems to detect structural complexity issues and comprehend the interaction of the software modules. This framework would be helpful to both designers and users to represent the component-based system in a comprehensible form and to apply the necessary measures.