Journal article

Open source software development tool installation: Challenges and strategies for novice developers

L Salerno, C Treude, P Thongtanunam

Empirical Software Engineering | Published : 2026

Abstract

As the world of technology advances, so do the tools that software developers use to create new programs. In recent years, software development tools have become more popular, allowing developers to work more efficiently and produce higher-quality software. Still, installing such tools can be challenging for novice developers at the early stage of their careers, as they may face issues such as compatibility problems (e.g., with operating systems) and unclear instructions. Therefore, this work aims to investigate the challenges novice developers face when installing software development tools and the strategies they employ to overcome them. To investigate these, we conducted an analysis of 24..

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