Hints on Quality Evaluation of Self-Systems

Self-properties have introduced a novelty in the IT world: software may change during its execution by performing modifications by itself on itself. The evaluation of such systems implies the evaluation of their ability to change. The variety of possible changes makes the evaluation a challenging task. This paper aims to (1) mention the available quality evaluation mechanisms in software engineering (ranging from design principles and patterns to anti-patterns and smells, as well as metrics), (2) outline which available mechanisms have been adapted to self-systems, and (3) introduce a wish list for future research concerning the evaluation issues.