We study the evolution of software systems with the help of tools. By doing this we obtain a better understanding of the domain, and we reuse that knowledge in improving the tools themselves. Having better tools we can learn new facts about the systems we study.
Eventually the users of the tool will also benefit from the tools which now are much more powerful.
Mircea writing things related to his thesis, so he won't forget them. One has many things floating through his head in the year of the thesis :)