Modeling and Analysis of Collaboration Network in Large-scale Complex Software Systems

Large-scale software systems represent an important class of artificial complex systems, which can be investigated from the complex network perspective. Based on the collaboration network model, the collaboration relationships between header files from source code of large-scale computer software systems are explored. It has been found that the generated network displays a high degree of heterogeneity in connectivity. The structural heterogeneity also leads to network's another important feature - "Robust yet fragile". That is the network displays an unexpected degree of robustness to random attack or disturbance, but is extremely vulnerable to intentional attack, i.e. to the removal of a few of highly connected nodes. These findings can help people to get a better understanding of the organizational principles and evolving mechanism of complex software systems.