Assessing Software Reliability Using Modified Genetic Algorithm: Inflection S-Shaped Model

In order to assess software reliability, many software reliability growth models (SRGMs) have been proposed in the past four decades. In principle, two widely used methods for the parameter estimation of SRGMs are the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) and the least squares estimation (LSE). However, the approach of these two estimations may impose some restrictions on SRGMs, such as the existence of derivatives from formulated models or the needs for complex calculation. In this paper, we propose a modified genetic algorithm (MGA) to assess the reliability of software considering the Time domain software failure data using Inflection S-shaped model which is NonHomogenous Poisson Process (NHPP) based. Experiments based on real software failure data are performed, and the results show that the proposed genetic algorithm is more effective and faster than traditional algorithms

Genetic algorithm-based multi-objective optimization model for software bugs prediction

The accuracy and reliability of software are critical factors for consideration in the operation of any electronic or computing device.  Although, there exist several conventional methods of software bugs prediction which depend solely on static code metrics without syntactic structures or semantic information of programs which are more appropriate for developing accurate predictive models.  In this paper, software bugs are predicted using a Genetic Algorithm (GA)-based multi-objective optimization model implemented in MATLAB on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) dataset comprising thirty-eight distinct factors reduced to six (6) major factors via the use of the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) algorithm with SPSS, after which a linear regression equation was derived. The developed GA- based multi-objective optimization model was well-tried and tested. The accuracy and sensitivity level were also analyzed for successful bug detection. The results for optimal values ranging from   95% to 97% were recorded at an average accuracy of 96.4% derived through MATLAB-implemented measures of critical similarities. The research findings reveal that the model hereto proposed will provide an effective solution to the problem of predicting buggy software in general circulation

An Extensive Analysis of Machine Learning Based Boosting Algorithms for Software Maintainability Prediction

Software Maintainability is an indispensable factor to acclaim for the quality of particular software. It describes the ease to perform several maintenance activities to make a software adaptable to the modified environment. The availability & growing popularity of a wide range of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms for data analysis further provides the motivation for predicting this maintainability. However, an extensive analysis & comparison of various ML based Boosting Algorithms (BAs) for Software Maintainability Prediction (SMP) has not been made yet. Therefore, the current study analyzes and compares five different BAs, i.e., AdaBoost, GBM, XGB, LightGBM, and CatBoost, for SMP using open-source datasets. Performance of the propounded prediction models has been evaluated using Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Magnitude of Relative Error (MMRE), Pred(0.25), Pred(0.30), & Pred(0.75) as prediction accuracy measures followed by a non-parametric statistical test and a post hoc analysis to account for the differences in the performances of various BAs. Based on the residual errors obtained, it was observed that GBM is the best performer, followed by LightGBM for RMSE, whereas, in the case of MMRE, XGB performed the best for six out of the seven datasets, i.e., for 85.71% of the total datasets by providing minimum values for MMRE, ranging from 0.90 to 3.82. Further, on applying the statistical test and on performing the post hoc analysis, it was found that significant differences exist in the performance of different BAs and, XGB and CatBoost outperformed all other BAs for MMRE. Lastly, a comparison of BAs with four other ML algorithms has also been made to bring out BAs superiority over other algorithms. This study would open new doors for the software developers for carrying out comparatively more precise predictions well in time and hence reduce the overall maintenance costs

Utilizando técnicas de aprendizado de máquina para apoiar o teste de regressão

Resumo: Independentemente do tipo de manutenção realizada, o teste de regressão é indispensável para testar as modificações e as novas funcionalidades do software. Ele também é responsável por verifícar se as funcionalidades existentes não foram negativamente afetadas pela modificação. Muitas técnicas têm sido propostas para reduzir os esforços e aumentar a eficácia dos testes de regressão. Dentre elas, algumas utilizando Aprendizado de Máquina (AM). Entretanto, a maioria dos trabalhos existentes não relacionam as informações coletadas durante o teste provenientes da aplicação de diferentes técnicas e critérios de teste. Esses critérios são considerados complementares porque podem revelar diferentes tipos de defeitos, e considerar essa complementariedade pode auxiliar o teste de regressão, reduzindo os esforços gastos nesta atividade. Dada essa perspectiva, este trabalho tem como objetivo explorar técnicas de AM, como de agrupamento, para relacionar informações como, por exemplo: dados de entrada, saída produzida, elementos cobertos por critérios estruturais, defeitos revelados, e etc. Com estas informações os dados são agrupados em classes funcionais. Os resultados assim obtidos são então submetidos a um algoritmo de classícação, para geração de regras a serem utilizadas na seleção e priorização de dados de teste. Uma ferramenta, chamada RITA (Relating information from Testing Activity), foi implementada para dar suporte à abordagem proposta. Ela foi utilizada em experimentos, cujos resultados mostram a aplicabilidade da abordagem e uma redução de custo do teste de regressão