NESSy: a New Evaluator for Software Development Tools

Select the best tool for developing a system is a complex process. There must be considered several aspects corresponding to the domain where the system is going to run. Generally, the domain characteristics only are comprehended by experts. They know very well which are the main characteristics, how they can be combined and which should not be considered. This knowledge is fundamental to select the most appropriate tool for implementing a system that solves problems or automates processes in a specific domain. For this reason, it is difficult to get a tool that allows to establish a ranking of development tools for a particular case. In this paper, NESSy, a system to evaluate software development tools, is presented. This tool implements a multi-criteria evaluation method named LSP (Logic Scoring of Preference). Furthermore, it presents a user-friendly environment for carrying out the evaluation process. LSP uses a set of structures aimed at describing software development tools with the goal of select the best one for a specific problem. The features previously mentioned make NESSy a relevant application to help the software engineer to select the best tool for solving specific problems related to particular domains. 1998 ACM Subject Classification D.2.7. Distribution, Maintenance, and Enhancement