Software Technology and Software Development
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Item What Blocks My Blockchain’s Throughput? Developing a Generalizable Approach for Identifying Bottlenecks in Permissioned Blockchains(2025-01-07) Papageorgiou, Orestis; Börtzler, Lasse; Ermolaev, Egor; Kumari, Jyoti; Sedlmeir, JohannesPermissioned blockchains have been proposed for various use cases where a certain degree of decentralization is necessary yet enterprise IT requirements must be met. However, their throughput remains considerably lower than that of established centralized systems. Previous studies that address permissioned blockchains' performance remain blockchain-specific, lacking a generalizable approach for locating and understanding bottlenecks. This paper presents a unified, graphical method for identifying bottlenecks in permissioned blockchains. We augment the DLPS - an open-source benchmarking tool - with graphical evaluation functionalities and use them to identify performance bottlenecks of Hyperledger Fabric and Quorum, two widely used permissioned blockchains with distinct architectural designs. Our work provides researchers and practitioners with a toolkit, guidelines on blockchain performance data analytics, and insights that assist with the bottleneck identification and improvement of permissioned blockchains.Item A Hidden Digital Text Watermarking Method Using Unicode Whitespace Replacement(2025-01-07) Hellmeier, Malte; Qarawlus, Haydar; Norkowski, Hendrik; Howar, FalkThe possibility of hiding information inside a digital medium is often referred to as watermarking or steganography. Since various solutions for image, video, and audio files exist, keeping control over text is challenging due to its limited possibilities. In this paper, we present a new digital text watermarking algorithm to hide a byte-encoded sequence inside an unformatted text. By substituting conventional whitespaces with a set of five similar-looking Unicode spaces, the cover text's structure and length stay untouched while remaining imperceptible to humans. We propose a software design and proof-of-concept multiplatform implementation with a downstream experimental evaluation for robustness, capacity, and visibility. Our findings indicate a stronger concealment and application robustness with limited embedding capacity compared to existing solutions utilizing zero-width spaces.Item CROSS: A Contributor-Project Interaction Lifecycle Model for Open Source Software(2025-01-07) Dey, Tapajit; Fitzgerald, Brian; Daniel, SheraeDespite the widespread adoption of open source software (OSS), its sustainability remains a critical concern, particularly in light of security vulnerabilities and the often inadequate end-of-service (EoS) processes for OSS projects as they decline. Existing models of OSS community participation, like the Onion model and the episodic contribution model, offer valuable insights but are fundamentally incompatible and fail to provide a comprehensive picture of contributor engagement with OSS projects. This paper addresses these gaps by proposing the CROSS model, a novel contributor-project interaction lifecycle model for open source, which delineates the various lifecycle stages of contributor-project interaction, along with the driving and retaining forces pertinent to each stage. By synthesizing existing research on OSS communities, organizational behavior, and human resource development, it explains a range of archetypal cases of contributor engagement and highlights research gaps, especially in EoS/offboarding scenarios. The CROSS model provides a foundation for understanding and enhancing the sustainability of OSS projects, offering a robust foundation for future research and practical application.Item Exploring Accessibility Trends and Challenges in Mobile App Development: A Study of Stack Overflow Questions(2025-01-07) Indika, Amila; Lee, Christopher; Wang, Haochen; Lisoway, Justin; Peruma, Anthony; Kazman, RickThe proliferation of mobile applications (apps) has made it crucial to ensure their accessibility for users with disabilities. However, there is a lack of research on the real-world challenges developers face in implementing mobile accessibility features. This study presents a large-scale empirical analysis of accessibility discussions on Stack Overflow to identify the trends and challenges Android and iOS developers face. We examine the growth patterns, characteristics, and common topics mobile developers discuss. Our results show several challenges, including integrating assistive technologies like screen readers, ensuring accessible UI design, supporting text-to-speech across languages, handling complex gestures, and conducting accessibility testing. We envision our findings driving improvements in developer practices, research directions, tool support, and educational resources.Item The Adoption of Digital Twins: Enablers, Challenges and Benefits(2025-01-07) Majchrzak, Tim A.; Mateos, Cristian; Hirsch, Matias; Grønli, Tor-Morten; Engan, Sina; Henningsen, JonA Digital Twin (DT) is a digital replica of a physical asset, process, or system, allowing real-time monitoring, simulations, and analysis for better decision-making. Despite its benefits, few have implemented DTs and begun utilizing its value. We investigate how organizations can get started with a DT by looking at the different elements of the implementation process. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify drivers and enablers, barriers, challenges during implementation, and benefits provided by a DT. We applied qualitative research through 19 semi-structured interviews of DT experts. Our findings indicate that factors driving DT adoption include data access, staying competitive, improved asset management, and management support. The study shows that costs, competence, and lack of incentives are the most significant challenges. Practitioners can use these findings to meet implementation challenges, and to see how benefits of a DT can be realized.Item Generative AI and Developer Workflows: How GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT Influence Solo and Pair Programming(2025-01-07) Stray, Viktoria; Moe, Nils Brede; Ganeshan , Nivethika; Kobbenes, SimonThis study investigates the impact of generative AI (GAI) tools, like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot, on software development. GAI tools can automate repetitive tasks, provide code suggestions, and enhance problem-solving. We conducted a case study in a large-scale agile organization, where we examined how GAI tools influence development efficiency and developers' workflow. During 25 days of observations, we observed 49 programming sessions. GAI was used in all 16 solo programming sessions and 30 of 33 pair programming sessions. Additionally, we conducted 14 interviews with developers and team leaders. In solo programming, GAI tools were said to improve efficiency and reduce stress, allowing more time for solving complex tasks. In contrast, the impact of GAI in pair programming was mixed. GAI tools were less frequently used in pair programming compared to solo programming. Our findings also highlight changes in software development, with developers leveraging GAI for information retrieval and coding assistance. However, challenges such as dependency on AI tools and the accuracy of AI-generated suggestions persist.Item Introduction to the Minitrack on Software Technology and Software Development(2025-01-07) Majchrzak, Tim A.; Grønli, Tor-Morten; Kaindl, Hermann