Professor Inoue conducts research on software architecture.
Thanks to the proliferation of open source software, it is becoming increasingly easy to build systems.
Pros and cons of open source
Nowadays, you can freely access the source code of even extremely complicated high-performance software and use it as you please. However, this also makes it easier to spread problems, such as bugs, security flaws, plagiarism and license violations. This is why demand for well-built software is growing.
Shedding light on the complexities of the software ecosystem
Open source software can be copied by numerous people and modified for use in different systems. Eventually, those systems may then be reused as parts of other systems. This cycle resembles the evolution of organisms, so there are many areas that can be explained using the same concepts. Borrowing ideas from biology, I spend my days trying to shed light on the complex relationships among different kinds of software.
The essence of information science
The field of information science grew from foundations in mathematics, logic, linguistic theory and electronic engineering. To succeed in this field, I believe one must make an effort to absorb these foundations while seeking to acquire the knowledge necessary for resolving various issues that contemporary society faces. Learning how to discern what those issues are is what makes my study of disciplines such as bioscience and cognitive science so rewarding.