Lets keep it up moving

Software development efforts result in the delivery of a software product that satisfies user requirements. Accordingly, the software product must change or evolve. Once in operation, defects are uncovered, operating environments change, and new user requirements surface. The maintenance phase of the life cycle begins following a warranty period or postimplementation support delivery, but maintenance activities occur much earlier

manteinance.

Software maintenance is an integral part of a software life cycle. However, it has not received the same degree of attention that the other phases have. Historically, software development has had a much higher profile than software maintenance in most organizations. This is now changing, as organizations strive to squeeze the most out of their software development investment by keeping software operating as long as possible. The open source paradigm has brought further attention to the issue of maintaining software artifacts developed by others.

Maintenance is needed to ensure that the software continues to satisfy user requirements. Maintenance is applicable to software that is developed using any software life cycle model (for example, spiral or linear). Software products change due to corrective and noncorrective software actions. Maintenance must be performed in order to

  • correct faults;
  • improve the design;
  • implement enhancements;
  • interface with other software;
  • adapt programs so that different hardware, software, system features, and telecommunications facilities can be used;
  • migrate legacy software; and
  • retire software.

Five key characteristics comprise the maintainer’s activities:

  • maintaining control over the software’s day-to-day functions;
  • maintaining control over software modification;
  • perfecting existing functions;
  • identifying security threats and fixing security vulnerabilities; and
  • preventing software performance from degrading to unacceptable levels.

This blog is the most relevant information extracted from the bottom source. Day by day I will try to be eliminating the source words and add my own content but for practice purposes (for now) will be as

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Source: http://swebokwiki.org/Chapter_5:_Software_Maintenance