Adaptable components

Abstract

The key to viable software reuse is the ability to rapidly retrieve and tailor software components for new uses. An adaptable component is a representation of a family of similar software components which supports tailoring as an intrinsic aspect of retrieval. Differences among the instances of a family are conceived as a set of feature decisions and represented as parameters of adaptability. Organized into a domain-specific taxonomy of architectural categories, adaptable components provide for rapid retrieval of components tailored to suit each particular use.