Workshops

Accepted workshops for SPLC 2022

TD4ViS 2022: 1st International Workshop on Technical Debt for Variability-intensive Systems

Organisers: Apostolos Ampatzoglou, Wesley K. G. Assunção, Jabier Martinez, Klaus Schmid and Daniele Wolfart

Abstract: Taking sub-optimal decisions in the development of systems, even if beneficial in the short term, might challenge future maintenance activities and evolution, a phenomenon termed technical debt. Considering the numerous design and implementation decisions that variability management comprises, it represents a relevant source of technical debt. Thus, variability-intensive systems might accumulate specific types of technical debt affecting diverse software assets such as requirements, architecture, source code, documentation, tests, etc. However, variability management has not been properly analyzed from a technical debt perspective. Therefore, it is important to explore what is specific to “variability debt” compared to other types of technical debt, as well as, what are the specifics of managing TD in variability intensive systems. A concise definition and characterization including a catalog of examples is desirable. In addition, many adaptations and approaches can be proposed for the typical technical debt management activities (identification, measurement, prioritization, repayment, monitoring, prevention, representation/documentation, and communication), and a roadmap is to be defined.

Website: td4vis.github.io

REVE 2022: 10th International Workshop on REverse Variability Engineering

Organisers: Wesley K. G. Assunção, Roberto E. Lopez Herrejon, Jabier Martinez and Tewfik Ziadi

Abstract: Software Product Line (SPL) migration remains a challenging endeavor. From organizational issues to purely technical challenges, there is a wide range of barriers that complicates SPL adoption. This workshop aims to foster research about making the most of the two main inputs for SPL migration: 1) domain knowledge and 2) legacy assets. Domain knowledge, usually implicit and spread across an organization, is key to define the SPL scope and to validate the variability model and its semantics. At the technical level, domain expertise is also needed to create or extract the reusable software components. Legacy assets can be, for instance, similar product variants (e.g., requirements, models, source code, etc.) that were implemented using ad-hoc reuse techniques such as clone-and-own. More generally, the workshop REverse Variability Engineering attracts researchers and practitioners contributing to processes, techniques, tools, or empirical studies related to the automatic, semi-automatic or manual extraction or refinement of SPL assets.

Website: https://reveworkshop.github.io/2022

VariVolution: 5th International Workshop on Variability and Evolution of Software-intensive Systems

Organisers: Philippe Collet, Sandra Greiner, Kristof Meixner and Gabriela Karoline Michelon

Abstract: Just like software in general, software product lines are permanently subject to change. This introduces evolution as a second problem dimension in addition to variability, which is the primary phenomenon addressed by software product line engineering. Traditionally, the methods and tools applied for revision control and variant management are radically different and mutually disjoint, although research has already suggested that evolution and variability can be tackled in a holistic way. Concrete examples of integrating approaches include uniform or unified versioning, delta-orientation in connection with hyper feature models, evolution-aware clone-and-own, projectional SPL editing, and variation control systems.

VariVolution (the 5th International Workshop on Variability and Evolution of Software-intensive Systems) aims at bringing together active researchers studying software evolution and variability from different angles as well as practitioners who encounter these phenomena in real-world applications and systems. The workshop offers a platform for exchanging new ideas and fostering future research collaborations and synergies.

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/varivolution2022

CWS 2022 – Configuration Workshop

Organisers: Cipriano Forza, José A Galindo, Martin Stettinger and Elise Vareilles

Abstract: The 2022 Configuration Workshop is in the stream of the series of successful workshops started at the AAAI’96 Fall Symposium and continued at IJCAI, AAAI, and ECAI conferences since 1999. Beside researchers from a variety of fields, past events also attracted a significant number of participants from industry (major configurator vendors such as Variantum, Cosling, as well as end-users from Siemens, etc.). Every year, around 30 people (from all around the world) attend this workshop and more than 15 papers of good quality are accepted. This workshop has its own proceedings with an ISBN number and a specific gala dinner for CWS attendees.

The main topics (not limited to) of the CWS workshop are the following:

  1. Configuration Problems and Models: Structure of configuration problems, knowledge representation, ontologies, fuzzy and incomplete knowledge, standardization of catalog exchange formats, feature models, configuration problems, representations for product and process configuration, product design and configuration.
  2. Techniques for developing & maintaining Configuration Models: Knowledge acquisition methods, cognitive approaches, machine learning, data extraction methods, ontology integration, reconciliation of knowledge bases, knowledge elicitation, testing and debugging, knowledge understanding.
  3. Reasoning Methods: Constraint satisfaction problems and extensions, preference based reasoning, description logics, rules, case-based reasoning, SAT-solving, local search, genetic algorithms, neural networks, problem decomposition, optimization, multi-criteria optimization, symmetry breaking, cooperative configuration processes, reconfiguration of existing systems, explanations, distributed problem solving, benchmark proposals, knowledge-based recommendation, knowledge compilation.
  4. Intelligent User Interfaces and Business Process Integration: Personalization, machine learning, explanations, recommender technologies, configuration web services, related software architectures, distributed configuration, integration into the production and selling process, configuration and mass customization.
  5. Applications and Tools: Configuration tools, design tools, application reports, case studies, real-world challenges, test environments for configuration knowledge bases, configuration in related fields such as software configuration, service composition, and model-driven engineering, environments for feature model development and maintenance. Issues arising when applying configurators in real world applications. Configurators and Industry 4.0 technologies.

Website: https://confws22.ist.tugraz.at/

VM4ModernTech 2022: 2nd International Workshop on Variability Management for Modern Technologies

Organisers: Wesley K. G. Assunção, Inmaculada Ayala, Jacob Krüger and Sébastien Mosser

Abstract: Variability is an inherent property of software systems that allows developers to deal with the needs of different customers and environments, creating a family of related systems. Variability can be managed in an opportunistic fashion, for example, using clone-and- own, or by employing a systematic approach, for instance, using a software product line (SPL). In the SPL community, variability management has been discussed for systems in various domains, such as defense, avionics, or finance, and for different platforms, such as desktops, web applications, or embedded systems. Unfortunately, other research communities—particularly those working on modern technologies, such as microservice architectures, cyber-physical systems, robotics, cloud computing, autonomous driving, or ML/AI- based systems—are less aware of the state-of-the-art in variability management, which is why they face similar problems and start to redeveloped the same solutions as the SPL community already did. This workshop aims to foster and strengthen synergies between the communities researching variability management and modern technologies. More precisely, we intend to attract researchers and practitioners to contribute processes, techniques, tools, empirical studies, and problem descriptions or solutions that are related to reuse and variability management for modern technologies. By inviting different communities and establishing collaborations be- tween them, we hope that the workshop can raise the interest of researchers outside the SPL community for variability management, and thus reduce the extent of costly redevelopments in research.

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/vm4moderntech-2022/home

MODEVAR 2022: 5th International Workshop on Languages for Modelling Variability

Organisers: David Benavides, Philippe Collet, Jose-Miguel Horcas and Angela Villota

Abstract: Feature models were invented in 1990 and have been recognised as one of the main contributions to the Software Product Line community. Although there have been several attempts to establish and study a sort of standard variability modelling language (e.g., OVM, CVL, TVL,..) there is still no consensus on a simple feature modelling language. There can be many motivations to have one but among others, there is one that is very important: information sharing among researchers, tools or developers. Following the spirit of the last four editions, three at SPLC (2019/2020/2021), and the other at VaMoS in February 2020, this workshop plans to be a full-day, interactive event where all participants shall share knowledge and progresses about how to build up a simple feature model language that all the community can agree on. The interest of the community in terms of contributions, presentations, and attendance have been high in the past editions. We plan this year to have a mixture in the MODEVAR program with one or two SPLC tutorials and then discussion and workshop papers altogether in a coherent and synchronized program. We expect papers to range from new ideas to realization proposals in line with the advances of the previous editions.

Website: https://modevar.github.io

WEESR 2022: 5th Workshop on Experiences and Empirical Studies on Software Reuse

Organisers: Jaime Chavarriaga, Luisa Rincon and Angela Villota

Abstract: The Workshop on Experiences and Empirical Studies on Software Reuse WEESR aims to be a space where researchers and practitioners can present their experiences and studies in software reuse. Furthermore, the workshop is a space to discuss the challenges that must be overcome in non-academic environments and obtain feedback on how the corresponding empirical research may be conducted and improved. The working sessions in the workshop contribute to researchers and practitioners in the exploration of research methods, and approaches useful to better understand the new tools and techniques supporting empirical research.

Website: https://weesr.github.io/