Software Renovation: An In-house Perspective with Case Studies

Programs are not only a tool for the simplification or automation of everyday tasks; they also represent a significant time and money investment. A program\u27s life may span years, or even decades, which creates certain risks for the stakeholders involved. To mitigate the risks associated with these legacy systems, software renovation can be undertaken. Software renovation can be described as a series of processes and/or tools used to modernize a legacy system, thereby preserving and maintaining the investment it represents while decreasing the risks associated with it. In this thesis, the focus is on renovation of software created by in-house development. A series of case studies will be examined to demonstrate basic renovation strategies, including the formation of goals for a renovation and exploring trade-offs between robustness, performance, and usability