Issues in the Specification and Measurement
of Software Portability

TR 93-6
May 1993

James D. Mooney
Dept. of Statistics and Computer Science
West Virginia University

This research is supported in part by the National Science Foundation, Grant No. CCR-9204461

• Abstract
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Portability Concepts
• 3. The Development Process
  • 3.1 Issues
  • 3.2 Designing for Portability
  • 3.3 Constraints and Benefits
  • 3.4 Costs
• 4. The Porting Process
  • 4.1 Issues
  • 4.2 Assessing Portability
  • 4.3 The Porting Option
  • 4.4 The Redevelopment Option
  • 4.5 Making a Choice
  • 4.6 Improving Portability
• 5. Specification Methods
• 6. Metrics
• 7. Examples
  • 7.1 A Video Game
  • 7.2 A Specialized Compiler
• 8. Conclusion
• Bibliography