[comp.software-eng] Software complexity metrics

ken@latcs1.oz (Ken Lew) (12/14/87)

In article 87 of comp.software-eng:
From: rion@wdl1.UUCP (Rion Cassidy)

>However, except for what the name implies, I really don't know what
>program complexity metrics are and therefore can't answer.  How about
>a brief overview?  Anybody?

Program complexity metric is used to indicate the "quality" of a program by
measuring certain characteristics such as program size, number of
decision statements, information flow, etc.

For example, McCabe's cyclomatic number measures the number of
independent paths in a program and is related to the number of decision
statements. McCabe has used the metric to control the number of paths in a
program module to increase the program test coverage.

Although non of the complexity metrics has been validated, some empirical
studies have found them useful in software development.

For reference, read: Software Metrics: An analysis and evaluation,
                     ed. A. Perlis et. al., MIT, 1981


ken@latcs1
----------------------------------------------------------------------