Subversion statistics sifter

Abstract

We present Subversion Statistics Sifter , a visualisation and statistics system for exploring the structure and evolution of data contained in Subversion repositories with respect to both developer activity and source code changes. We support a variety of visualisation techniques, including statistical graphics and graph plots. We exploit the inherent hierarchical structure of software archives to support users of the tool in navigation and orientation tasks and to allow them to obtain insight from the data on different levels of granularity such as directories, files, or even down to single lines of code. The tool is targeted towards large, tiled displays driven by graphics clusters; therefore, distant corresponding views are highlighted by a rubber-banding technique. The system is built on a .NET and WPF basis that exploits data binding and theming of common controls. Following this principle, the system can easily be extended by additional visualisation techniques. We illustrate the usefulness of Subversion Statistics Sifter by case studies of student lab and open source software projects. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.