The meaning of maintenance mode depends on the context.
In the world of
software development
Software development is the process of designing and Implementation, implementing a software solution to Computer user satisfaction, satisfy a User (computing), user. The process is more encompassing than Computer programming, programming, wri ...
, it refers to a point in a
computer program
A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to Execution (computing), execute. It is one component of software, which also includes software documentation, documentation and other intangibl ...
's life when it has reached all of its goals and is generally considered to be "complete" and
bug-free. The term can also refer to the point in a
software product
Software consists of computer programs that instruct the execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications.
The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital computers in the mid-20th cen ...
's evolution when it is no longer competitive with other products or current with regard to the technology environment it operates within. In both cases, continued development is deemed unnecessary or ill-advised, but occasional bug fixes and security
patches are still issued, hence the term maintenance mode. Maintenance mode often transitions to
abandonware
Abandonware is a term for software, typically video games, that are no longer for sale by conventional means and are distributed by warez websites for free. The use of the "abandonware" term is controversial, as distributing out-of-print softw ...
.
In the world of
software maintenance
Software maintenance is the modification of software after delivery.
Software maintenance is often considered lower skilled and less rewarding than new development. As such, it is a common target for outsourcing or offshoring. Usually, the tea ...
, it refers to the operational mode a device or service may enter when it is being maintained. For example, while diagnosing, reconfiguring, repairing, upgrading or testing it may be necessary for the device or service to drop to maintenance mode until its fitness for operational mode is verified. Another use case is deliberately putting the device or service into maintenance mode so that it cannot be used operationally while being maintained.
Sometimes, when a popular
free software
Free software, libre software, libreware sometimes known as freedom-respecting software is computer software distributed open-source license, under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, distribut ...
project undergoes a major overhaul, the pre-overhaul version is kept active and put into maintenance mode because it will still be widely used in production for the foreseeable future. Project
forks
In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from 'pitchfork') is a Eating utensil, utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tine (structural), tines with whic ...
can also spawn from programs that go into maintenance mode too soon or have enough developer support for a more advanced version. A good example of this is the
vi editor, which was in maintenance mode and forked into
Vi IMproved. The Vim fork has many useful features that vi does not, such as syntax highlighting and the ability to have multiple open
buffer
Buffer may refer to:
Science
* Buffer gas, an inert or nonflammable gas
* Buffer solution, a solution used to prevent changes in pH
* Lysis buffer, in cell biology
* Metal ion buffer
* Mineral redox buffer, in geology
Technology and engineeri ...
s.
See also
*
Steady state
In systems theory, a system or a process is in a steady state if the variables (called state variables) which define the behavior of the system or the process are unchanging in time. In continuous time, this means that for those properties ''p' ...
References
Software maintenance
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