Mining Q&A Platforms for Empirical Evidence on Quantum Software Programming

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Khan, Arif Ali, Ye, Boshuai, Akbar, Muhammad Azeem, Khan, Javed Ali, Mougouei, Davoud, Ma, Xinyuan
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Khan, Arif Ali
Ye, Boshuai
Akbar, Muhammad Azeem
Khan, Javed Ali
Mougouei, Davoud
Ma, Xinyuan
author_facet Khan, Arif Ali
Ye, Boshuai
Akbar, Muhammad Azeem
Khan, Javed Ali
Mougouei, Davoud
Ma, Xinyuan
contents The rise of quantum computing has driven the need for quantum software engineering, yet its programming landscape remains largely unexplored in empirical research. As quantum technologies advance toward industrial adoption, understanding programming aspects is crucial to addressing software development challenges. This study analyzes 6,935 quantum software programming discussion posts from Stack Exchange platforms (Quantum Computing, Stack Overflow, Software Engineering, and Code Review). Using topic modeling and qualitative analysis, we identified key discussion topics, trends (popular and difficult), tools/frameworks, and practitioner challenges. Twenty topics were identified, including popular ones such as physical theories and mathematical foundations, as well as security and encryption algorithms, while the most difficult were object-oriented programming and parameter control in quantum algorithms. Additionally, we identified nine frameworks that support quantum programming, with Qiskit emerging as the most widely adopted. Our findings also reveal core challenges in quantum software programming, thematically mapped into four areas: theories and mathematical concepts, algorithms and applications, experimental practices and software development, and education and community engagement. This study provides empirical insights that can inform future research, tool development, and educational efforts, supporting the evolution of the quantum software ecosystem.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_05240
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Mining Q&A Platforms for Empirical Evidence on Quantum Software Programming
Khan, Arif Ali
Ye, Boshuai
Akbar, Muhammad Azeem
Khan, Javed Ali
Mougouei, Davoud
Ma, Xinyuan
Software Engineering
The rise of quantum computing has driven the need for quantum software engineering, yet its programming landscape remains largely unexplored in empirical research. As quantum technologies advance toward industrial adoption, understanding programming aspects is crucial to addressing software development challenges. This study analyzes 6,935 quantum software programming discussion posts from Stack Exchange platforms (Quantum Computing, Stack Overflow, Software Engineering, and Code Review). Using topic modeling and qualitative analysis, we identified key discussion topics, trends (popular and difficult), tools/frameworks, and practitioner challenges. Twenty topics were identified, including popular ones such as physical theories and mathematical foundations, as well as security and encryption algorithms, while the most difficult were object-oriented programming and parameter control in quantum algorithms. Additionally, we identified nine frameworks that support quantum programming, with Qiskit emerging as the most widely adopted. Our findings also reveal core challenges in quantum software programming, thematically mapped into four areas: theories and mathematical concepts, algorithms and applications, experimental practices and software development, and education and community engagement. This study provides empirical insights that can inform future research, tool development, and educational efforts, supporting the evolution of the quantum software ecosystem.
title Mining Q&A Platforms for Empirical Evidence on Quantum Software Programming
topic Software Engineering
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.05240