Software aging is a process whereby the software codes quality drops or becomes outdated leading to various technical problems.
Eventually, the software becomes decrepit, and users need to upgrade to a newer version.
Think of these feature updates as new and better versions of the existing operating systems.
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Does Software Degrade over Time?
Any software degrades over time due to the advancement in hardware or the changes occurring in users needs.
As the software gets older, it gradually fails to serve its purposes, and users start experiencingslow-down issues.
Eventually, the software will trigger frequent system freezes and crashes and will stop working altogether.
Windows XP is perhaps the perfect software aging example.
While we cant prevent software aging, we do have a pretty clear picture of whats causing it.
How Do You Prevent Software Aging?
Get the Latest Updates
One way to prevent software aging is to regularly roll out the latest updates.
Software developers constantly roll out updates to improve their programs, add new features and fix known bugs.
In this manner, existing software can adapt to users needs or new technology platforms.
Clean Your System Regularly
Avoid installing unnecessary software.
Make a habit out ofregularly cleaning your systemof junk files and temporary files.
Dont forget to scan your system for virus and malware infections.
Malware is known to alter program files, which speeds up the software aging process.
Free your system resources of unnecessary strain.Uninstall the programs you no longer need.
Limit the number of programs that automatically launch at bootup.
Think of software aging as the process and software rot as a result.
When a program reaches the software rot stage, it often becomes unresponsive and crashes.
It no longer receives regular updates and can even crash the operating system its running on.
Users are left with no choice but to upgrade to a newer version.
What Is Software Rejuvenation?
Software rejuvenation refers to all the methods used to prevent or slow down software aging.
Rebooting your systemis one of the most popular and useful software rejuvenation techniques.
Isnt that the first troubleshooting method that comes to mind when your rig or phone stops working?
Clean installing your operating systemis another software rejuvenation method thats accessible to the average user.
In essence, this means installing a clean copy of the latest OS version.
The process consists of three main stages:
Conclusion
Everything in this world has a lifecycle.
Theres an evanescent aspect to everything, and software is no different.
Computer programs are subject to a gradual decline in performance over time.
Thats called software aging.
