Comparative semantics of Feature Diagrams: FFD vs vDFG (extended abstract)

Feature diagrams are popular notations to model and manage variability in software product lines. In our previous researches, we advocated the use of formal semantics as an indispensable means to clarify discussions about feature diagrams and to ensure safe and efficient tool automation of product line management. We present a generic formal semantics for feature diagram languages and criteria to compare them. Obviously, other semantics for feature diagram languages exist and should be formally compared with our approach. After a comparison with the semantics of Batory, the purpose of this paper is to compare the semantics proposed by van Deursen and Klint with our own following the methodology of comparative semantics. Subsequently, the language properties such as expressiveness and succinctness are studied. It turns out that van Deursen and Klint's feature diagrams algebra can be related to our semantics by an abstraction function. But we argue in favor of ours which appears simpler, more intuitive and more generic.