An Empirical Investigation of Code Smell ´Deception´ and Research Contextualisation through Paul´s Criteria
|
| Title | An Empirical Investigation of Code Smell ´Deception´ and Research Contextualisation through Paul´s Criteria |
| Authors | |
| Abstract | Code smells represent code decay and as such should be eradicated from a system to prevent future maintenance problems. A range of twenty smells described by Fowler and Beck each require varying numbers and combinations of refactorings in order to be eradicated - but exactly how many are needed when we consider related, nested refactorings is unclear. In this paper, we enumerate these refactorings when categorised according to Mantyla´s smell taxonomy. We then show how, ironically, the ´smelliest´ of smells (and hence most difficult to eradicate) are actually those best understood by developers. So, code smells are not only unpleasant to have around but are deceptive in their nature and make-up. The study is thus a warning against attempting what are seemingly easily eradicated smells - these are often the smells the developer needs to be most wary of. Finally, we incorporate the answers to six questions suggested by Paul for ´How to write a paper properly´ to position the paper in a reflective way. |
| Publisher | University of Zagreb, University Computing Centre - SRCE |
| Date | 2011-02-04 |
| Source | Journal of Computing and Information Technology Vol 18, No 4 (2010): Special Issue from the 2010 ITI Conference |
| Rights | CIT. Journal of Computing and Information Technology is an open access journal.Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work´s authorship and initial publication in this journal.Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal´s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access). |