Abstraction in Software Development - Essay Example

In software architectures, abstractions are used hand in hand with idioms in the description of system components, the nature of interactions among the components, and the patterns guiding the composition of components into systems. Abstractions are usually supported by programming languages and tools. Assuming I am a software developer, I usually make use of abstractions in capturing packaging and interaction issues as well as in computational functionality.

Due to the constantly increasing complexity of the systems we use, reliance on abstractions increases in the software development industry. Each of these abstractions attempts to hide the complexity, allowing me as a software developer to create a code that can cater to all the variations in complexity that are required in modern computing. To create reliable software, there is a greater need for me to learn and understand many of the abstractions and underlying details. Abstraction also finds a lot of applications in software reuse.

In this case, abstraction plays a central role. For effective software artifacts reuse, concise and expressive abstractions are essential. Higher levels of abstractions in the reuse technique reduce the effort required to go from the initial concept of a software system to representations in the reuse technique (Medvidovic & Taylor 2000: 70-93). During the verification of software, abstraction is highly used. This allows debugging of a specific software component. Simulation and validation of the software component are done at each abstraction level, resulting in the abstraction of different components of the target hardware architecture.

The abstract architecture model hides details of the underlying implementation of the hardware platform while ensuring a sufficient level of control that the software code can be validated in terms of performance, efficiency, and reliable functionality (Popovich, 2010: 17). How abstraction helps in software development abstraction is a powerful heuristic. It has allowed the development of systems that implement and integrate abstraction in the problem-solving process. The development of systems with abstraction helps to improve the efficiency of the systems.

On the other hand, from the basic understanding that abstraction hides the complexity underlying the systems, we deduce that it reduces the search space. The concept of data abstraction helps software developers in the integration of both structural and behavioral properties of databases. The development of database concepts requires consideration of the applicability of tools and techniques in programming languages to develop a proper database. In addition, abstraction helps developers to model algebraic and software objects.

The algebraic methodology provides a mathematical foundation for software development technology. Abstractions also help developers because they help in providing a test bed for experiments having a variety of system construction mechanisms. Abstract interactions such as data flow and scheduling allow expression and checking of appropriate compatibility restrictions and configuration constraints (Medvidovic & Taylor 2000: 70-93). Appropriate abstractions, therefore, have to be chosen in software development.

Abstraction removes details from the view of the system but not from the system. To prevent the loss of the essence of software design calls for use of modern techniques. An abstraction is a useful tool that reduces the complexity of a software design, perceived by human viewing.