Impact of software engineering research on the practice of software configuration management

Jacky Estublier, David Leblang, André van der Hoek, Reidar Conradi, Geoffrey Clemm, Walter Tichy, Darcy Wiborg-Weber
2005 ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology  
Software Configuration Management (SCM) is an important discipline in professional software development and maintenance. The importance of SCM has increased as programs have become larger, more long-lasting, and more mission and life critical. This article discusses the evolution of This article has been developed under the auspices of the Impact Project. The aim of the project is to provide a scholarly study of the impact that software engineering research-both academic and industrial-has had
more » ... pon the practice. The principal output of the project is a series of individual papers covering the impact upon practice of research in selected major areas of software engineering. Each of these papers is being published in ACM TOSEM. Additional information about the project can be found at http://www.acm.org/sigsoft/impact. 3:11 2 • J. Estublier et al. SCM technology from the early days of software development to present, with a particular emphasis on the impact that university and industrial research has had along the way. Based on an analysis of the publication history and evolution in functionality of the available SCM systems, we trace the critical ideas in the field from their early inception to their eventual maturation in commercially and freely available SCM systems. In doing so, this article creates a detailed record of the critical value of SCM research and illustrates how research results have shaped the functionality of today's SCM systems.
doi:10.1145/1101815.1101817 fatcat:6sup6rruyva25kugog2yzgfo4y