Work cat.: Aldrich, J. Using types to enforce architectural structure, 2003: abstract (software architecture describes the high-level structure of a software system, and can be used for design, analysis, and software evolution tasks) pp. 1-2 (software architecture is the high-level organization of a software system as a collection of components, connections between the components, and constraints on how the components interact)

Inspec, via Engineering village 2, Feb. 10, 2004 (Software architecture; software architecture describes the structure of a system, enabling more effective design, program understanding, and formal analysis)

TechEncyclopedia, via WWW, Feb. 10, 2004 (software architecture, the design of application or system software that incorporates protocols and interfaces for interacting with other programs and for future flexibility and expandability. A self-contained, stand-alone program would have program logic, but not a software architecture)

The new IEEE standard dict. of electrical and electronics terms, c1993 (architectural design (software). (A) The process of defining a collection of hardware and software components and their interfaces to establish the framework for the development of a computer system. (B) The result of the process in (A).)

Free on-line dict. of computing, via WWW, Feb. 10, 2004 (architecture: Design, the way components fit together. The term is used particularly of processors, both individual and in general. "The ARM has a really clean architecture". It may also be used of any complex system, e.g. "software architecture", "network architecture")

LC database, Feb. 10, 2004 (software architecture)

Google search, Feb. 10, 2004 (Software architecture forms the backbone for building successful software-intensive systems. An architecture largely permits or precludes a system's quality attributes such as performance or reliability; The software architecture of a program or computing system is the structure or structures of the system, which comprise software elements, the externally visible properties of those elements, and the relationships among them; The structure of the components of a program/system, their interrelationships, and principles and guidelines governing their design and evolution over time; Software architecture is the study of the large-scale structure and performance of software systems. Important aspects of a system's architecture include the division of functions among system modules, the means of communication between modules, and the representation of shared information; Software architecture is loosely defined as the organizational structure of a software system including components, connections, constraints, and rationale; Software architecture deals with the design and implementation of the high-level structure of the software. It is the result of assembling a certain number of architectural elements in some well-chosen forms to satisfy the major functionality and performance requirements such as scalability and availability. Software architecture deals with abstraction, with decomposition and composition, with style and esthetics.)

AccessScience @ McGraw-Hill, Feb. 10, 2004