1. Explain the concept of software maintenance.

Software maintenance is the process of modifying and updating software applications after their initial deployment

. The primary goal of software maintenance is to correct faults, improve performance, or adapt the software to a changed environment or requirements.

It is an essential part of the software development life cycle (SDLC) and ensures that software remains useful, efficient, and secure over time.

Types of Software Maintenance

1. Corrective Maintenance:

   • Purpose: Fixing bugs and errors discovered in the software after it has been deployed.
   • Examples: Patching security vulnerabilities, fixing crashes, resolving functional defects.
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2. Adaptive Maintenance:

   • Purpose: Updating the software to work in new or changed environments.
   • Examples: Adapting to new operating systems, integrating with new hardware, complying with updated regulations.
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3. Perfective Maintenance:

   • Purpose: Enhancing and improving the software to increase performance or maintainability.
   • Examples: Optimizing code for better performance, improving user interface and user experience, adding new features requested by users.
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4. Preventive Maintenance:

   • Purpose: Making changes to prevent future problems or extend the software's lifespan.
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   • Examples: Refactoring code to reduce complexity, updating documentation, implementing better error handling.