Reuse Libraries for Real-Time multimedia over the Network

Throughout the software industry there is an increasingly critical need to reduce the costs of producing software, while at the same time providing higher quality and coping with an increasing demand for sophisticated, ultra-complex systems. Software development with and for reuse promises to address this situation. This paper considers a case study involving a company in Northeastern Italy which undertook the implementation of a reuse-oriented, multimedia, network-distributed software entitites library. It was soon discovered that unfortunately institutionalizing reuse is not a straightforward process. Despite completing the implementation and refinement of the tool, the firm encountered resistance in getting software engineers and managers to use it. The main role in reuse was played by management taking decisions in setting up an appropriate corporate reuse policy that rendered the reuse application tool effective. This paper surveys the associated problems and suggesting potential solutions, making references to the particular case study.