Product Line Tools are Product Lines Too: Lessons Learned from Developing a Tool Suite

Tool developers are facing high expectations regarding the capabilities and usability of software engineering tools. Users expect tools which are tailored to their specific needs and integrated in their environment. This increases the complexity of tools and makes their customization more difficult, although numerous mechanisms supporting adaptability and extensibility are available. In this experience paper we report on the lessons we have learned when developing a tool suite for product line engineering. Our experiences suggest that software engineering tools should be designed as product lines.