SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE:
Software maintenance is the general process of changing a system after it has been delivered. The term is usually applied to custom software in which separate development groups are involved before and after delivery. The changes made to the software may be simple changes to correct coding errors, more extensive changes to correct design errors, or significant enhancements to correct specification errors or accommodate new requirements. Changes are implemented by modifying existing system components and, where necessary, by adding new components to the system.
There are 3 different types of software maintenance are there and those are:
1. Fault repairs: Coding errors are usually relatively cheap to correct; design errors are more expensive as they may involve rewriting several program components. Requirements errors are the most expensive to repair because of the extensive system redesign which may be necessary.
2. Environmental adaptation: This type of maintenance is required when some aspect of the system’s environment such as the hardware, the platform operating system, or other support software changes. The application system must be modified to adapt it to cope with these environmental changes.
3. Functionality addition: This type of maintenance is necessary when the system requirements change in response to organizational or business change. The scale of the changes required to the software is often much greater than for the other types of maintenance.
