An Evaluation of the NetBeans Module System as a Product line Implementation Technology

Variability is one of the key concepts of software reuse in software product line engineering (SPLE). Rich client platforms (RCPs) have been designed to facilitate development of modern client applications. They facilitate this with concepts, structures and pre-made functionality which support the development and conceptualization of flexible and modular applications. These characteristics make them interesting in the context of SPLE. Despite the fact that modularity, extensibility and flexibility are characteristics, which in general are even more important to software product lines (SPLs) than to standalone applications, these platforms and their facilities have not been investigated scientifically from a SPLE perspective. This paper remedies the situation by providing an evaluation and a discussion of the module system provided by NetBeans Platform (a RCP). The paper contributes to the catalog of SPL implementation technologies, it introduces SPLE practitioners and theoreticians to RCP technologies, and sheds light on some of the concepts, which can help to make a more informed decision when it comes to choosing implementation technology for development of SPLs.