Prototype, Applications Backlog, Programming, Efficiency, Productivity, Software, and Software Maintenance

According to industry experts, eighty-two per cent of a program's bugs are introduced during the specification process, seventeen per cent are introduced during detail design, and only one per cent are introduced during coding. The way to improve programming efficiency is through prototyping. Prototyping enables the finished program to more precisely meet the user's requirements. This, in turn, lowers maintenance requirements and increases the useful life cycle of an application. Because seventy to eighty per cent of a programmer's time is spent on maintenance and enhancements, prototyping frees valuable resources that can be better applied to the applications backlog.

Software Maintenance, Software Modification, Prototype, Software, Fourth Generation, and State-of-the-Art

Nicholas Zvegintzov, editor of Software Maintenance News, a monthly newsletter published by the Software Maintenance Association, is interviewed. He discusses the keys to improving software maintenance, whether it is easier to maintain code written in a fourth generation language, the maintenance implications of prototyping, the lack of adequate maintenance training, and the state-of-the-art in maintenance tools.