Software Cartography: Thematic Software Visualization with Consistent Layout

Software visualizations can provide a concise overview of a complex software system. Unfortunately, as software has no physical shape, there is no `natural' mapping of software to a two-dimensional space. As a consequence most visualizations tend to use a layout in which position and distance have no meaning, and consequently layout typically diverges from one visualization to another. We propose an approach to consistent layout for software visualization, called Software Cartography, in which the position of a software artifact reflects its vocabulary, and distance corresponds to similarity of vocabulary. We use Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) to map software artifacts to a vector space, and then use Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) to map this vector space down to two dimensions. The resulting consistent layout allows us to develop a variety of thematic software maps that express very different aspects of software while making it easy to compare them. The approach is especially suitable for comparing views of evolving software, as the vocabulary of software artifacts tends to be stable over time. We present a prototype implementation of Software Cartography, and illustrate its use with practical examples from numerous open-source case studies.

Consistent Layout for Thematic Software Maps

Software visualizations can provide a concise overview of a complex software system. Unfortunately, since software has no physical shape, there is no “natural“ mapping of software to a two-dimensional space. As a consequence most visualizations tend to use a layout in which position and distance have no meaning, and consequently layout typical diverges from one visualization to another. We propose a consistent layout for software maps in which the position of a software artifact reflects its \emph{vocabulary}, and distance corresponds to similarity of vocabulary. We use Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) to map software artifacts to a vector space, and then use Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) to map this vector space down to two dimensions. The resulting consistent layout allows us to develop a variety of thematic software maps that express very different aspects of software while making it easy to compare them. The approach is especially suitable for comparing views of evolving software, since the vocabulary of software artifacts tends to be stable over time.

ll "Pasquillus extaticus" di Celio Secondo Curione: eresia, censura, tradizione a stampa e manoscritta del testo

The essay examines the print and manuscript traditions of the "Pasquillus extaticus" by Celio Secondo Curione with a particular focus on their relation with censorship. At first, the essay investigates into the redactional evolution and into the editorial history of the dialogue and of its vernacular versions, e.g. the relation between some editions of the "Pasquillus extaticus" and of the "Pasquino in estasi" (which appeared anonymously and without typographical information) and the provisions of political and ecclesiastical censorship in the 16th century. Finally, analysing the manuscript tradition, the essay discusses Carlos Gilly’s identification of «Coelii Secundi Pasquillus, emendatus impress[us]», registered in the inventory of the private library of the Basel typographer Johannes Oporinus, with the copy preserved at the Herzog August Bibibliothek Wolfenbüttel [hab: p 1811. 8º Helmst. (1)]). The author refutes Gilly’s hypothetical attribution to Curione’s handwriting of the many marginalia present in this copy.