Mobile Open‐Source Software Reliability Growth Model Based on Extended Weibull Distribution and Introduced Faults With Multiple Change‐Points

ABSTRACT Smartphones have become the most commonly used electronic devices, realizing most of the functions of desktop computers and providing a variety of applications that meet user needs. However, constrained by various factors such as hardware and software, the nature of the mobile environment differs from that of personal computer (PC) and server environments. Traditional models based on the PC environment cannot accurately assess and predict the reliability of mobile applications. This paper proposes a new software reliability growth model (SRGM) that uses the extended Weibull function as the distribution of the total number of faults in the mobile environment. Meanwhile, considering the characteristics of dynamic outbreaks of software faults in the mobile environment, a multiple change‐points (CPs) scheme is proposed to improve the model. Relevant experiments were designed using entropy measures to verify the fitting and prediction performance of the proposed model. In addition, due to the large number of model parameters, a metaheuristic optimization algorithm called the Snake Optimizer is used to estimate the model parameters, and a sensitivity analysis of the model is conducted at the end. Experimental results indicate that the performance of the proposed model is superior to that of other models. The proposed model can assist developers and testers in evaluating the reliability of mobile software.