Supporting multiple tool integration paradigms within a single environment

In the domain of effective software development, tool integration is a key issue. In effect, tools can be integrated using a variety of the interfacing paradigms. In most software development environments to date, tool integration is based on a single-paradigm tool interface which may not be suitable for integrating a diverse range of tools. It is desirable to have various interfacing paradigms for flexible and effective tool integration within a single environment. The authors discuss research into a generic interface supporting uncoupled, tightly coupled, and loosely coupled interfacing paradigms within a single prototype environment for interactive software development.