4.1. Architecture versus Programming
Software design levels has been a topic of academic discussion. Representing the software architecture research community, Shaw and Garlan propose a three-level model, comprising:
machine
code
architecture
The machine level comprises unmodifiable binary software, including the operating system and linkable modules. The code level is modifiable source code. The architecture level is a higher level of abstraction. In their model, architecture comprises software partitioning, software interfaces, and interconnections.
The three-level model establishes a useful frontier for academic research on software architecture. However, it does not have enough levels to provide a sufficient separation of design forces. In ...
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