A feature interaction benchmark for the first feature interaction detection contest

The feature interaction problem is an inherently difficult problem that affects the entire software life cycle for development of new features for reactive systems. A considerable body of work has been created over the last 10 years addressing this problem. To encourage testing and comparing different approaches to the problem, a feature interaction detection contest was held for the Fifth International Workshop on Feature Interactions in Telecommunications and Software Systems. The contest required the participants to use automated tools to address the feature interaction problem in the requirements phase of feature development. The participants were required to discover the pair-wise feature interactions inherent in the requirements for a collection of Features. This special issue of COMNET contains the best papers from the participants in that contest. Although there could be only one winner of the contest, all of the approaches represented here provide useful insight into how to approach the feature interaction problem as it affects the requirements phase of feature development. We hope that subsequent contests will provide opportunities to refine these approaches and to address other phases of feature development. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.