Novel software development approaches are embracing abstraction and
automation techniques. It is claimed that abstraction and automation
techniques increase the productivity, improve the reusability and lower
the complexity of the projects. In this study we address these new
frontiers of software development by investigating on one novel
proposal, namely the Ball. The Ball is an information ecosystem for
authorised information containing web content, digital content as well
as service development and integration. It is claimed to improve the
reusability, productivity and security of software development while
lowering the complexity. While improving the software developer's
productivity it should produce smaller and more reasonable software
systems, leading to a better reusability and a shorter learning phase
for new developers. Up to now there exists no evidence to support these
claims. In this study we analyse the Ball ecosystem from multiple
perspectives. We compare it to related approaches in order to find its
advantages and disadvantages. In order to provide empirical data we
replicated a study where a mobile information system was developed using
three different technologies. The results of this study show that the
Ball ecosystem has the potential to improve the productivity of software
development. However, it still needs further development and
improvements before being competitive with traditional ways of
developing software.