Composing Resilient Software: Architectural Evolution and Collaborative Governance in JackTrip's Open-Source Journey
Résumé
Software architecture erosion poses critical risks for real-time audio systems, where strict latency requirements and legacy dependencies contribute to technical debt. This paper investigates erosion symptoms in JackTrip, an open-source tool for networked music collaboration, during its pivotal evolution from academia to commercial use through a mixed-methods case study. Analyzing 19 historical versions (2015-2022) using architectural recovery, static code analysis, and developer interviews, we uncover a paradox: metrics like cluster coverage stabilized, while link overload architectural smells surged. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated commercialization and feature development (e.g., Virtual Studios) inducing governance fragmentation between stakeholders. Protocol constraints and framework dependencies, including IPv4 workarounds and tight coupling to JACK/Qt, impaired modernization efforts.
Key contributions include (1) evidence that architectural stabilization metrics can mask smell proliferation in rapidly evolving systems, (2) identification of hybrid governance models as catalysts for architectural drift, and (3) practical mitigation strategies tailored for audio software. We demonstrate how tools like ARCADE Core enable proactive erosion detection while Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) facilitate in documenting trade-offs (e.g., IPv6 transition costs vs. backward compatibility). For the open-source audio community, we advocate latency-aware modular decomposition and collaborative governance frameworks to balance real-time performance with sustainable design. This study provides actionable insights for maintaining architectural integrity in systems straddling research innovation and production-grade reliability.
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