Understanding Software Adaptation and Evolution

Abstract: Software maintenance is a significant part of software system lifetime. Softwaresystem lifetime incorporates many processes including software adaptation and software evolution. These processes collide into one another and create confusion as theboundaries that separate them are often difficult to distinguish. Knowing what exactly these concepts indicate and how they are related can bring simplicity to futuredevelopment of adaptive systems. The following document presents a performed systematic literature review, which aims to outline the similarities and the differences ofadaptation and evolution and further explain how they are related. The results of thestudy show that adaptation and evolution have become more entwined with growthof interest to self-managing dynamic software.