RDDDITI⬅ HEREM⬅ & HERE

📦 Step 7 — Installation | 🔧 Step 8 — Maintenance

📦 Step 7 — Installation (Deployment)

Installation is delivering the finished software to users. This used to mean shipping CDs or DVDs — today it usually means deploying to servers, publishing to app stores, or pushing updates over the internet.

🚀 Installation Methods

Direct deployment — Installing software on the client's servers (enterprise software like SAP)
App store publishing — Submitting to Apple App Store or Google Play (Canva, TikTok)
Web deployment — Pushing to cloud servers so users access via browser (Google Docs, Figma)
Digital distribution — Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store (games)
Phased rollout — Releasing to 5% of users first, then gradually expanding (Facebook, Instagram)

🎮 Real Example: Steam (Valve)

When a game launches on Steam, the installation step involves: uploading the build to Steam's CDN (content delivery network) servers across the world, setting up the store page with screenshots and trailers, configuring regional pricing, setting up anti-cheat systems, and scheduling the “go live” moment. On launch day, millions of users hit “Install” simultaneously — the infrastructure must handle it.

🔧 Step 8 — Maintenance

Maintenance is the longest phase — it lasts the entire lifetime of the software. Once software is deployed, it needs ongoing updates, bug fixes, security patches, and new features.

🔄 Types of Maintenance

Type	Purpose	Example
Corrective	Fixing bugs found after release	Patching a crash bug in Fortnite after an update
Adaptive	Updating for new environments	Updating an app to work with a new iPhone or new version of Android
Perfective	Adding new features	Minecraft adding the “Caves & Cliffs” update years after launch
Preventive	Improving code to prevent future issues	Refactoring old spaghetti code to be more maintainable

🎮 Real Example: Fortnite — Live Service Model

Fortnite has been in continuous maintenance since 2017. Epic Games pushes updates every 1–2 weeks including new weapons, map changes, crossover events (Marvel, Star Wars), and bug fixes. The game earns billions per year through this ongoing maintenance model. Maintenance is not optional — it IS the product.

💡 Key Fact

Industry research shows that 60–80% of the total cost of a software project is spent on maintenance — not development. Building the software is the easy part. Keeping it running, secure, and up-to-date is where the real work (and money) goes.