Complexity of Finite State Machines as a Tool for Understanding Software Evolution

Summary form only given. We first briefly outline the complexity of finite automata following the soon-to-be published book [Rhodes, in press]. We then extend the complexity definitions to recent research on Software Complexity, and then explore how the complexity changes as the software systems evolve. These results are compared to previously-obtained results relating to evolution of biological systems. This talk is intended for a general audience interested in Software Evolution.