Towards the Engineering of Commercial Web-Based Applications

Since the mid 90s, we have been studying Web development and maintenance at Durham. One aspect of the research has been concerned with characterizing the evolution of Web sites over time. Another has been concerned with determining appropriate process models of Web development and maintenance. Overlaying this research has been work on Web metrics: firstly to evaluate web application quality, secondly to describe change, and thirdly to guide our research on process models for web engineering. Working with small to medium enterprises developing commercial web-based applications has given our research a firmly based practical emphasis and empirical grounding. All of our research has been leading towards the establishment of web site engineering as a new discipline within Software Engineering. An overriding concern has been determining how to build the foundations of web site engineering based on the lessons that can be learnt from traditional Software Engineering, the identification of the new challenges introduced by taking an engineering approach to web site evolution, both development and maintenance aspects, and the unique problems posed by the web and its associated technologies and innovative applications.