Comparative Stability of Cloned and Non-cloned Code: A Replication Study

TL;DR

This study replicates a previous investigation into how code cloning affects software stability, using different software systems and methods to verify the original findings and explore their generalizability.

Contribution

It reproduces prior results on code clone stability impact with new subjects and experimenters, enhancing the reliability and applicability of previous conclusions.

Findings

Replicated previous stability measurements on new software system.

Validated the original study’s conclusions across different contexts.

Provided insights into the generalizability of cloning effects.

Abstract

Code cloning is an important software engineering aspect. It is a common software reuse principle that consists of duplicating source code within a program or across different systems owned or maintained by the same entity. There are several contradictory claims concerning the impact of cloning on software stability and maintenance effort. Some papers state that cloning is desired since it speeds up the development process and helps stakeholders meet the tight schedule and deliver on time. Other papers argue that code clone leads to code bloat and causes increase software maintenance costs due to copied defects and dead code. In this paper, we are replicating a previous study done on cloning by the original author. We are repeating his work using the same methods and metrics but with different subjects and experimenters. The paper we are addressing evaluates the impact of code cloning on code stability using three different stability-measuring methods. Our team will apply the same stability measurement techniques on a different software system developed in C programming language to determine generalizability, assure that the results are reliable, validate their outcomes, and to inspire new search by combining previous findings from related studies.