Code Complete, 2nd Edition

Architecture Prerequisite

Software architecture is the high-level part of software design, the frame that holds the more detailed parts of the design (Buschman et al. 1996; Fowler 2002; Bass Clements, Kazman 2003; Clements et al. 2003). Architecture is also known as "system architecture," "high-level design," and "top-level design." Typically, the architecture is described in a single document referred to as the "architecture specification" or "top-level design." Some people make a distinction between architecture and high-level design—architecture refers to design constraints that apply systemwide, whereas high-level design refers to design constraints that apply at the subsystem or multiple-class level, but not necessarily systemwide.

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