Architecture decisions in quantum software systems: An empirical study on Stack Exchange and GitHub

IF 3.8 2区计算机科学 Q2 COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Information and Software Technology Pub Date : 2024-09-24 DOI:10.1016/j.infsof.2024.107587

Mst Shamima Aktar , Peng Liang , Muhammad Waseem , Amjed Tahir , Aakash Ahmad , Beiqi Zhang , Zengyang Li

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Context:

Quantum computing provides a new dimension in computation, utilizing the principles of quantum mechanics to potentially solve complex problems that are currently intractable for classical computers. However, little research has been conducted about the architecture decisions made in quantum software development, which have a significant influence on the functionality, performance, scalability, and reliability of these systems.

Objective:

The study aims to empirically investigate and analyze architecture decisions made during the development of quantum software systems, identifying prevalent challenges and limitations by using the posts and issues from Stack Exchange and GitHub.

Methods:

We used a qualitative approach to analyze the obtained data from Stack Exchange Sites and GitHub projects — two prominent platforms in the software development community. Specifically, we collected data from 385 issues (from 87 GitHub projects) and 70 posts (from 3 Stack Exchange sites) related to architecture decisions in quantum software development.

Results:

The results show that in quantum software development (1) architecture decisions are articulated in six linguistic patterns, the most common of which are Solution Proposal and Information Giving, (2) the two major categories of architectural decisions are Implementation Decision and Technology Decision, (3) Software Development Tools are the most common application domain among the twenty application domains identified, (4) Maintainability is the most frequently considered quality attribute, and (5) Design Issues and High Error Rates are the major limitations and challenges that practitioners face when making architecture decisions in quantum software development.

Conclusions:

Our results show that the limitations and challenges encountered in architecture decision-making during the development of quantum software systems are strongly linked to the particular features (e.g., quantum entanglement, superposition, and decoherence) of those systems. These issues mostly pertain to technical aspects and need appropriate measures to address them effectively.

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量子软件系统的架构决策：对 Stack Exchange 和 GitHub 的实证研究

背景：量子计算为计算提供了一个新的维度，它利用量子力学原理，有可能解决目前经典计算机难以解决的复杂问题。方法：我们使用定性方法分析了从 Stack Exchange 站点和 GitHub 项目（软件开发社区的两个著名平台）获得的数据。具体来说，我们从 385 个问题（来自 87 个 GitHub 项目）和 70 个帖子（来自 3 个 Stack Exchange 站点）中收集了与量子软件开发中的架构决策有关的数据。结果：结果显示，在量子软件开发中，(1) 架构决策以六种语言模式表述，其中最常见的是解决方案建议和信息提供，(2) 架构决策的两大类是实施决策和技术决策，(3) 软件开发工具是已确定的 20 个应用领域中最常见的应用领域，(4) 可维护性是最常被考虑的质量属性，(5) 设计问题和高错误率是从业人员在量子软件开发中做出架构决策时面临的主要限制和挑战。结论：我们的研究结果表明，在量子软件系统开发过程中，架构决策所遇到的限制和挑战与量子软件系统的特殊功能（如量子纠缠、叠加等）密切相关、量子纠缠、叠加和退相干）密切相关。这些问题大多涉及技术层面，需要采取适当措施才能有效解决。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Information and Software Technology 工程技术-计算机：软件工程

CiteScore

9.10

自引率

7.70%

发文量

164

审稿时长

9.6 weeks

期刊介绍： Information and Software Technology is the international archival journal focusing on research and experience that contributes to the improvement of software development practices. The journal''s scope includes methods and techniques to better engineer software and manage its development. Articles submitted for review should have a clear component of software engineering or address ways to improve the engineering and management of software development. Areas covered by the journal include: • Software management, quality and metrics, • Software processes, • Software architecture, modelling, specification, design and programming • Functional and non-functional software requirements • Software testing and verification & validation • Empirical studies of all aspects of engineering and managing software development Short Communications is a new section dedicated to short papers addressing new ideas, controversial opinions, "Negative" results and much more. Read the Guide for authors for more information. The journal encourages and welcomes submissions of systematic literature studies (reviews and maps) within the scope of the journal. Information and Software Technology is the premiere outlet for systematic literature studies in software engineering.