Special section on Web Systems Evolution

Evolution of Web applications is high for several reasons. Among the others, the need of being constantly updated with the emerging technologies is maybe the most important. Web Systems Evolution is a multifaceted and broad field studying techniques, approaches and tools able to restructure, re-engineer and in general modify aWeb applicationwith the intention of renovating or improving some quality aspects of it. This special section is devoted to a selection of papers that have been originally published in the proceedings of the International Symposium onWeb Site Evolution, held in Beijing, China in October 2008. The selected papers investigate different issues concerning the evolution of Web Systems, ranging from migration towards SOA to more classic re-engineering and maintenance tasks (e.g., improving the navigational structure). The main contribution of this special section consist of translating some interesting research ideas aboutWeb systems evolution into solutions and tools able to transfer knowledge to the industry