In this paper the authors discuss different ways software can be adapted for use in a thirdparty environment. The authors make a distinction between evolution and adaptation stating that "evolution occurs when a software component is modified by the original component design team or by programmers hired to maintain and extend the component... In contrast, adaptation occurs when an application builder acquires a third-party component and creates a new component to use within the target application. " ISVis has both of these scenarios- the instrumentation tools being the third-party components that have been used in the program. Our current focus is on the evolution of the application to bring it up to date with today's standards. In that regard the rest of the paper applies to the future work that will need to be done with ISVis to adapt updated third-party components to get the instrumentation working. The paper lists several "requirements " that are needed for the adaptation of a component-they are really more like guidelines and are not all necessary (or possible) depending on the adaptation being performed. The paper then discusses five techniques that can be used in the adaptation of software:

One of the many difficulties in making Component-Based Software Engineering (CBSE) a reality is the adaptation of software components that may be required when constructing applications from COTS components. We surveyed the literature to discover various approaches to component adaptation and evaluated these approaches against a set of requirements for component adaptation mechanisms. We also discuss differences between adaptation of software components and extension of object-oriented classes.

A centralized (or even distributed) system admits only one correct answer to a question at a time. In contrast, a decentralized one allows several agents to hold different opinions, all equally valid. While the term `decentralization' is familiar from political and economic contexts, it has been applied extensively, if indiscriminately, to describe recent trends in software architecture towards integrating services across organizational boundaries.