Complex Software Systems in Legacy and Modern Environments: A Case Study of the PicklingTools Library

Abstract

Most complex software systems are written in many languages and utilize multiple frameworks. The PicklingTools is an open-source collection of libraries (see the website at http://www.picklingtools.com) allowing multiple systems (both modern and legacy) to communicate. The original purpose of the PicklingTools was to allow users to communicate with a legacy product (written with a monolithic legacy framework called Midas 2k) without needing the legacy framework. Since then, the toolset has evolved to become a standalone framework for building applications in the C++ and Python programming languages. This case-study explores how the PicklingTools has been used to evolve existing legacy applications, exploit existing legacy installations, and author new modern applications.