thesis - Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies ...

Chapter 5. Growth Dynamics
abstractions that they need to focus on is well within the limits of their
working memory. If this decision making method is applied for each feature,
over time, the asymmetric distribution observed in various metrics
is reinforced.
5.5.7 Value of Gini Coefficient
The Gini Coefficient is a single bounded value, and hence offers an easy
to use trigger for an investigation that would reveal potential causal
mechanisms. One alternatives to using the Gini Coefficient will be to
identify and observe the movement in outliers using a range of outlier
detection techniques [24]. Another alternative is to use a combination
of arithmetic mean, median, skewness and kurtosis to qualitatively deduce
the nature of the distribution. Though these techniques may offer
some insight, they do not digest the information taking into consideration
the entire population size and also are limited since there is no
easy baseline to compare against. Furthermore, the outlier detection
method will highlight a set of classes rather than present information
that permits direct comparisons between versions without additional
analysis.
Gini Coefficient based analysis offers information on what can be considered
a typical range and provides a guideline for investigation, including
for detecting machine generated code and unusual patterns via
a single numerical value. The information provided by Gini Coefficients
is helpful for solution architects and developers, especially when they
need to take over a software system and maintain it. For example, if
a system has machine generated code, additional knowledge and skills
might be needed in order to maintain and enhance blocks of code that
are automatically generated.
Software Code Audit
Knowing that Gini coefficients have strong boundaries can be used to
improve software comprehension. We measured the Gini Coefficient
during two commercial code audits undertaken as part of a broader
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