Examinando por Autor "Gonzalez-Barahona, Jesus M."

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BabiaXR: Facilitating experiments about XR data visualization
(Elsevier, 2023) Moreno-Lumbreras, David; Gonzalez-Barahona, Jesus M.; Robles, Gregorio
BabiaXR is a toolset for conducting experiments about 3D data visualizations in extended reality (XR) in the browser. BabiaXR provides both components for building complex data visualizations, and for easily transforming them into scenes suitable for running experiments with subjects. For data visualization, it provides components to retrieve, filter, select, and visualize data. To facilitate empirical experiments with human subjects, it provides components for showing information to subjects, controlling their interaction with data, and recording their reactions. This enables the easy transformation of a certain data visualization scene into an experiment directly usable by subjects. BabiaXR is extensible, based on the A-Frame JavaScript framework for XR. As such, it is easily composable with other A-Frame components, and complex data visualization scenes can be created by using only HTML constructs. BabiaXR can be used in any XR device supporting WebXR, and with limited capabilities also in desktop and mobile devices.
CodeCity: A Comparison of On-Screen and Virtual Reality
(Elsevier, 2022) Moreno-Lumbreras, David; Minelli, Roberto; Villaverde, Andrea; Gonzalez-Barahona, Jesus M.; Lanza, Michele
Context: Over the past decades, researchers proposed numerous approaches to visualize source code. A popular one is CodeCity, an interactive 3D software visualization representing software system as cities: buildings represent classes (or files) and districts represent packages (or folders). Building dimensions represent values of software metrics, such as number of methods or lines of code. There are many implementations of CodeCity, the vast majority of them running on-screen. Recently, some implementations using virtual reality (VR) have appeared, but the usefulness of CodeCity in VR is still to be proven. Aim: Our comparative study aims to answer the question ‘‘Is VR well suited for CodeCity, compared to the traditional on-screen implementation?’’ Methods: We performed two experiments with our web-based implementation of CodeCity, which can be used on-screen or in immersive VR. First, we conducted a controlled experiment involving 24 participants from academia and industry. Taking advantage of the obtained feedback, we improved our approach and conducted a second controlled experiment with 26 new participants. Results: Our results show that people using the VR version performed the assigned tasks in much less time, while maintaining a comparable level of correctness. Conclusion: VR is at least equally well-suited as on-screen for visualizing CodeCity, and likely better.
Development effort estimation in free/open source software from activity in version control systems
(Springer, 2022-07-20) Robles, Gregorio; Capiluppi, Andrea; Gonzalez-Barahona, Jesus M.; Lundell, Björn; Gamalielsson, Jonas
Effort estimation models are a fundamental tool in software management, and used as a forecast for resources, constraints and costs associated to software development. For Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) projects, effort estimation is especially complex: professional developers work alongside occasional, volunteer developers, so the overall effort (in person-months) becomes non-trivial to determine. The objective of this work it to develop a simple effort estimation model for FOSS projects, based on the historic data of developers’ effort. The model is fed with direct developer feedback to ensure its accuracy. After extracting the personal development profiles of several thousands of developers from 6 large FOSS projects, we asked them to fill in a questionnaire to determine if they should be considered as full-time developers in the project that they work in. Their feedback was used to fine-tune the value of an effort threshold, above which developers can be considered as full-time. With the help of the over 1,000 questionnaires received, we were able to determine, for every project in our sample, the threshold of commits that separates full-time from non-full-time developers. We finally offer guidelines and a tool to apply our model to FOSS projects that use a version control system.
Revisiting the reproducibility of empirical software engineering studies based on data retrieved from development repositories
(Elsevier, 2023) Gonzalez-Barahona, Jesus M.; Robles, Gregorio
Context: In 2012, our paper ‘‘On the reproducibility of empirical software engineering studies based on data retrieved from development repositories’’ was published. It proposed a method for assessing the reproducibility of studies based on mining software repositories (MSR studies). Since then, several approaches have happened with respect to the study of the reproducibility of this kind of studies. Objective: To revisit the proposals of that paper, analyzing to which extent they remain valid, and how they relate to current initiatives and studies on reproducibility and validation of research results in empirical software engineering. Method: We analyze the most relevant studies affecting assumptions or consequences of the approach of the original paper, and other initiatives related to the evaluation of replicability aspects of empirical software engineering studies. We compare the results of that analysis with the results of the original study, finding similarities and differences. We also run a reproducibility assessment study on current MSR papers. Based on the comparison, and the applicability of the method to current papers, we draw conclusions on the validity of the approach of the original paper. Main lessons learned: The method proposed in the original paper is still valid, and compares well with other more recent methods. It matches the results of relevant studies on reproducibility, and a systematic comparison with them shows that our approach is aligned with their proposals. Our method has practical use, and complements well the current major initiatives on the review of reproducibility artifacts. As a side result, we learn that the reproducibility of MSR studies has improved during the last decade. Vision: We propose to use our approach as a fundamental element of a more profound review of the reproducibility of MSR studies, and of the characterization of validation studies in this realm.
Software development in the age of LLMs and XR
(ACM, 2024-04-20) Gonzalez-Barahona, Jesus M.
Let’s imagine that in a few years generative AI has changed software development dramatically, taking charge of most of the programming tasks. Let’s also assume that extended reality devices became ubiquitous, being the preferred interface for interacting with computers. This paper proposes how this situation would impact IDEs, by exploring how the development process would be affected, and analyzing which tools would be needed for supporting developers.
Software Development Metrics With a Purpose
(IEEE Computer Society, 2022-04-08) Gonzalez-Barahona, Jesus M.; Izquierdo-Cortazar, Daniel; Robles, Gregorio
A new generation of toolsets that are flexible enough to adapt to the data analytics needs of a given scenario is emerging to analyze free, open source software (FOSS). GrimoireLab is one such toolset that meets many of the needs of foundations, developers, and companies.
Software development metrics: to VR or not to VR
(Springer, 2024) Moreno-Lumbreras, David; Robles, Gregorio; Izquierdo-Cortázar, Daniel; Gonzalez-Barahona, Jesus M.
Context Current data visualization interfaces predominantly rely on 2-D screens. However, the emergence of virtual reality (VR) devices capable of immersive data visualization has sparked interest in exploring their suitability for visualizing software development data. Despite this, there is a lack of detailed investigation into the effectiveness of VR devices specifically for interacting with software development data visualizations. Objective Our objective is to investigate the following question: “How do VR devices compare to traditional screens in visualizing data about software development?” Specifically, we aim to assess the accuracy of conclusions derived from exploring visualizations for understanding the software development process, as well as the time required to reach these conclusions. Method In our controlled experiment, we recruited N=32 volunteers with diverse backgrounds. Participants interacted with similar data visualizations in both VR and traditional screen environments. For the traditional screen setup, we utilized a commercially available set of interactive dashboards based on Kibana, commonly used by Bitergia customers for data insights. In the VR environment, we designed a set of visualizations, tailored to provide an equivalent dataset within a virtual room. Participants answered questions related to software evolution processes, specifically code review and issue tracking, in both VR and traditional screen environments, for two projects. We conducted statistical analyses to compare the correctness of their answers and the time taken for each question. Results Our findings indicate that the correctness of answers in both environments is comparable. Regarding time spent, we observed similar durations, except for complex questions that required examining multiple interconnected visualizations. In such cases, participants in the VR environment were able to answer questions more quickly. Conclusion Based on our results, we conclude that VR immersion can be equally effective as traditional screen setups for understanding software development processes through visualization of relevant metrics in most scenarios. Moreover, VR may offer advantages in comprehending complex tasks that require navigating through multiple interconnected visualizations. However, further experimentation is necessary to validate and reinforce these conclusions. Similar content being viewed by others
Virtual Reality vs. 2D Visualizations for Software Ecosystem Dependency Analysis – A Controlled Experiment
(2024-08-30) Moreno-Lumbreras, David; Gonzalez-Barahona, Jesus M.; Robles, Gregorio
Background/Context: Data is typically visualized using 2-D on- screen tools. With the advent of devices capable of creating 3D and Virtual Reality (VR) scenes, there is a growing interest in exploring these technologies for data visualization, particularly for complex data like software dependencies. Despite this interest, there is lim- ited evidence comparing VR with traditional 2D on-screen tools for such visualizations. Objective/Aim: This registered report aims to determine whether comprehension of software ecosystem dependencies, visualized through their metrics, is better when presented in VR scenes com- pared to 2D screens. Specifically, we seek to evaluate if answers obtained through VR visualizations are more accurate and if it takes less time to derive these answers compared to traditional 2D on-screen tools. Method: We will conduct an experiment with volunteers from various backgrounds, using two setups: a 2D on-screen tool and a VR scene created with A-Frame. The data will focus on web projects using the Node Package Manager (NPM) registry. Subjects will answer a series of questions in both setups, presented in random order. We will statistically analyze the correctness and the time taken for their answers to compare the two visualization methods