Software Diagnostics Institute

Some time ago we introduced Iterative Pattern-Oriented Root Cause Analysis where we added mechanisms in addition to diagnostic checklists. Such mechanisms became the additional feature of Pattern-Oriented Software Data Analysis principles. Since medical diagnostics influenced some features of pattern-oriented software diagnostics, we found further extending medical metaphors useful. Since Pathology is the study of causes and effects, we introduce its systemic software correspondence as Software Pathology. The parts of the name “path-o-log-y” incorporate logs as artifacts and paths as certain trace and log analysis patterns such as Back Trace. We depict this relationship in the following logo:

Please also note a possible alternative category theory interpretation of “path-olog-y” using an olog approach to paths.

We, therefore, are happy to add Software Pathology as a discipline that studies mechanisms of abnormal software structure and behavior. It uses software traces and logs (and other types of software narratives) and memory snapshots (as generalized software narrative) as investigation media. Regarding the traditional computer graphics and visualization part of medical pathology, there is certain correspondence with software pathology as we demonstrated earlier that certain software defects could be visualized using native computer memory visualization techniques (the details can be found in several Memory Dump Analysis Anthology volumes).

The software pathology logo also prompted us to introduce a similar logo for Software Narratology as a “narration to log” metaphor:

Moving “y” from “Narratology” results in a true interpretation of software tracing: N-array-to-log.

Please note that the log icon in “narratology” logo part doesn’t have any abnormality indicator because a software log can be perfectly normal.

The last note to mention is that Software Pathology is different from pathology software, the same distinction applies to Software Narratology vs. narratology software, Software Diagnostics vs. diagnostics software, Software Forensics vs. forensics software, and Software Prognostics vs. prognostics software.