On the Future of Solution Composition in Software Ecosystems

Abstract

The trend of application stores is currently at a peak. However, the lack of dynamic composition for complex solutions is the largest downside of the app store model, since solutions are increasingly created as compositions of multiple solutions, APIs, and applications. Therefore, in this vision paper, a superior model, solution composers, is proposed to the app store model. A conceptual framework is established to illustrate the inner workings of solution composers in software ecosystems. In order to outline that solution composers are significant for the future of software development, several industry cases are presented and compared to support this concept, further indicating that a standard for solution composition should be considered. In addition, the vision is evaluated through expert reviews at several leading platform providers and challenges for practice and implementation are identified.