Upgrade
From Free net encyclopedia
An upgrade is when you replace a product with a newer version of that same product. When you make an upgrade of the same product from one company to the other, you are making a competitive upgrade.
The term is most often used in computing, generally meaning a replacement of hardware or software with a newer one, in order to bring the system up to date. Common hardware upgrades are installing additional memory (RAM), adding larger hard disks, replacing graphics cards, and buying new versions of software, although many other upgrades are often possible as well. Common software upgrades include changing the version of an operating system, office suite, anti-virus program, or various other tools. It's quite common to see newer versions of software facing criticism.
Software upgrades are often downloaded from the Internet. Often the download is a patch—it does not contain the new version of the software in its entirety, just the changes that need to be made. Software patches usually aim to improve functionality or solve problems with security. Rushed patches have been known to cause more harm then good and are therefore sometimes regarded with skepticism for a short time after release. Patches are generally free.
A software upgrade can be major or minor and the release version is increased accordingly. A major upgrade will change the version number, whereas the minor will usually follow with a ".01", ".02", ".03", etc. I.e. version 10.03 means that that is the third minor upgrade of version 10. The minor upgrades (or updates) are generally free, but the major versions have to be bought.
In fiction, upgrades are often portrayed as being evil, distributed by tyrannical rulers to control people, as in the movie Robots (movie), The Matrix Reloaded and the Doctor Who episode The Long Game.
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