Comparative study of variability management in software product lines and runtime adaptable systems

Software Product Lines (SPL) and Runtime Adaptation (RTA) have traditionally been distinct research areas addressing different problems and with different communities. Despite the differences, there are also underlying commonalities with synergies that are worth investigating in both domains, potentially leading to more systematic variability support in both domains. Accordingly, this paper analyses commonality and differences of variability management between SPL and RTA and presents an initial discussion on the feasibility of integrating variability management in both areas.