How do you evaluate software architecture portability across platforms and environments?

1 Portability dimensions

Portability is not a simple concept, but a complex one with many components. It depends on how similar or different the source and target platforms and environments are, as well as the characteristics of the software system itself. Key dimensions of portability include hardware, such as processors, memory, disks, network interfaces; operating system, which manages hardware resources and provides basic services and interfaces; middleware which offers additional services and interfaces; programming language with its syntax and semantics; libraries and frameworks that provide specific functionality and features; and configuration and deployment settings and procedures. All of these must be taken into account when considering portability.

2 Portability metrics

To measure the portability of a software system, you need to define metrics that quantify the effort or cost required to adapt the system to a different platform or environment. While there is no universal set of metrics for portability, some examples are lines of code, function points, modules, dependencies, tests, and errors. For instance, you may need to consider the number of code lines that need to be added, modified or deleted to make the system run on a target platform or environment. Additionally, you may also have to take into account the number of functional units or features that need to be added, modified or deleted. Moreover, you should also consider the number of code modules or components that need to be added, modified or deleted as well as the number of external libraries or frameworks that need to be added, modified or deleted. Lastly, you should consider the number of tests that need to be added, modified or deleted to verify the correctness and performance of the system on a target platform or environment and the number of errors or defects that occur when the system is run on a target platform or environment.

3 Portability methods

In order to evaluate the portability of a software system, you need to apply methods that collect and analyze data related to portability metrics. These methods can be divided into two main categories: static and dynamic. Static methods involve the use of static analysis tools or techniques to examine code and documentation, and estimate portability metrics through rules or heuristics. For example, portlint can be used to check the portability of a C program across different operating systems, while sonarqube measures the code quality and complexity of a Java project. Dynamic methods, on the other hand, involve the use of dynamic testing tools or techniques to execute the system on different platforms and environments, and measure portability metrics based on actual results and performance. For instance, docker creates and runs containers with different configurations and dependencies, while selenium automates the testing of a web application across different browsers.

4 Portability trade-offs

When evaluating the portability of a software system, you need to consider the trade-offs associated with achieving a higher or lower level of portability. For example, the more features and functions provided by the system, the more likely it is to rely on specific libraries or frameworks that may not be available or compatible on different platforms or environments. Similarly, the more optimized and efficient the system is, the more likely it is to rely on low-level or native code that may not be portable or interoperable across different platforms or environments. Moreover, the more secure and robust the system is, the more likely it is to require special permissions or configurations that may not be supported or allowed on different platforms or environments. Additionally, the more user-friendly and intuitive the system is, the more likely it is to use specific graphical or interactive elements that may not be consistent or compatible across different platforms or environments. Lastly, increasing portability and adaptability of a system may increase its complexity and variability of code and documentation, which can affect its readability and modifiability.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?