When a software application is modified to remain functional and compatible after its underlying operating system is upgraded, this activity falls under which category of software maintenance?
Adaptive maintenance
Software Maintenance Categories Explained
The question asks to categorize the software maintenance activity where an application is modified to work with a new operating system (OS) after an upgrade.
Understanding Software Maintenance Types
Software maintenance ensures applications remain functional and relevant over time. Different types address various needs:
- Corrective Maintenance: Fixes bugs and defects found post-release. Example: Repairing a calculation error.
- Perfective Maintenance: Enhances performance, maintainability, or adds features based on user requests. Example: Speeding up a report generation.
- Adaptive Maintenance: Modifies software to remain compatible with changes in its environment. This includes updates to the OS, hardware, or other external systems.
- Preventive Maintenance: Aims to anticipate and prevent future problems, improving reliability and maintainability. Example: Re-structuring code to make it easier to update later.
Identifying the Correct Maintenance Type
Modifying software to ensure functionality after an operating system upgrade is necessary because the underlying environment has changed. The software needs to adapt to these new environmental conditions.
This specific scenario perfectly matches the definition of Adaptive Maintenance, as the software is being adapted to a new or changed environment (the upgraded OS).
The other options are not suitable:
- Corrective maintenance addresses defects, not environmental changes.
- Perfective maintenance improves the software itself, rather than adapting it externally.
- Preventive maintenance focuses on future-proofing, not immediate compatibility issues caused by environmental shifts.
Conclusion
Therefore, when software is modified to remain functional and compatible after an underlying operating system upgrade, it falls under Adaptive Maintenance.
Important Questions from Software Maintenance
Size and complexity are a part of
Given below are two statements:
Statement I: Quality control involves the series of inspections, reviews and tests used throughout the software process. to ensure each work product meets the requirements placed upon it.
Statement II: Quality assurance consists of auditing and reporting functions of management. In the light of the above statements.
choose the correct answer from the options given below
Software re-engineering is concerned with:
In an activity-on-arrow PERT/CPM network, a merge event marks the ______ of all incoming activities before any outgoing activity may begin.
Which of the following statements is/are True ?
P: Refactoring is the process of changing a software system in such a way that it does not alter the external behaviour of the code yet improves the internal architecture.
Q: An example of refactoring is adding new features to satisfy a customer requirement discovered after a project is shipped.
Code:
