Software engineering for technological ecosystems also referred as Software Ecosystems (SECOs) focuses on the concept of software engineering field. The study of SECOs started in early 90s under business schools, mainly focused on software engineering based on the software product lines approach that aimed to allow external designers and developers to contribute to hitherto closed platforms. The chapter gives background, various dimensions, framework, architectural challenges of SECOs, and explains various limitations and different recommendations and solutions to provide a better and conclusive platform for the technology ecosystems.
TopBackground
Software ecosystems give a phenomenon in the field of software engineering based on the rapid and ever evolution in the present times. The software product lines approach motivated the study of SECOs in the software engineering community. Focus was aiming on the acceptance of external developers so as to contribute to hitherto enclosed platforms. Various research activities contributed by industrial cases and literature reinforce a lot of relevant perspectives that need to be explored, like mobile platforms, modeling, social networks, and business considerations. On top of these, software ecosystems require a multidisciplinary treatment that comprises law, business, economy, communication, and sociology. Most of the above studies are motivated by the existing software vendors’ routine, for they no longer operate in independent manner that has the potential to deliver different products. Study show that they have become more dependent on other software vendors for key software components plus infrastructures. For instance, they include platforms, libraries, operating systems, and component stores (Dos Santos & Werner, 2011).
In other words, software vendors do resort to virtual integration that comes through alliances to establish and keep networks of interoperability and influence factors responsible in generating SECOs. There certain challenges that emerges from the direction taken making it technical for the realization of ideal results. One thing is that software vendors in the software engineering field should be have skills and knowledge on the materials that they are using. With that, they will be in a better position to develop and create a better platform that focuses on all the needs and strategies to carry out all related concepts. Most develops have always focused and need to use the same notion, something that ensures right measures are used at all times. In the software engineering field, it is essential to operate with well-defined standards that will help get desirable results. To get these true, software vendors need to know all concepts that relates to the SECOs (Still, Huhtamäki, Russell, & Rubens, 2014).