Reference implementation: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 07:42, 4 October 2019

Revision as of 23:01, 12 October 2019

Line 1:

In the [[software development process]], a '''reference implementation''' (or, less frequently, '''sample implementation''' or '''model implementation''') is the standard from which all other implementations and corresponding customizations are derived. An improvement to a reference implementation reflects an unchanging [[specification (technical standard)|specification]]. Conversely, a failed attempt at an implementation may prove that the specification is not suitable and needs improvement itself. [[Software testing|Testing]] the implementation-vs.-specification relationship further enhances the [[Product family engineering|production]]'s inter-process efficiencies:

{{quote|A reference implementation is, in general, an implementation of a specification to be used as a definitive interpretation for that specification (This definition is a bit grandiloquent but works). During the development of the ... conformance test suite, at least one relatively trusted implementation of each interface is necessary to (1) discover errors or ambiguities in the specification, and (2) validate the correct functioning of the test suite.<ref>Dalci, Eric; Fong, Elizabeth; Goldfine, Alan (2003). ''Requirements for GSC-IS Reference Implementations''. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Information Technology Laboratory. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060928231404/http://xw2k.sdct.itl.nist.gov/smartcard/document/ref-imp51.pdf