Theme. Application software.
Software - consist of sequences of instructions called programs that can be understood and executed by hardware.
Off-the-shelf software comes as a finalized set of functions that customers can start using instantly.
General-purpose software - software that can be used for many different tasks.
Ex. Word processing software, Database software, Spreadsheet software, Presentation Software, etc.
Special-purpose software performs a single specific task.
Ex. Internet Browsers, Media Players, Email Programs, etc.
Custom software or tailor-made software - represents the most personalized development approach.
Bespoke software - written for a customer's specific need.
Ex. Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Business process automation system, Ticket booking systems, etc.
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Off-the-shelf software |
Custom software (Bespoke) |
Key Features |
Best practices Not always meet needs Low customization level Fixed prices |
Fully customizable Only required functions Costs are different |
Advantages |
Cheaper than bespoke Readily available, while bespoke may take some time to write Able to perform multiple tasks Probably less buggy Usually integrates with other software well Well-tested |
The software will work exactly how the company wants it to work (Personal solution) The software will only have the features that the company specifically needs in their company |
Disadvantages |
It might not perform all the tasks needed by the user Not all required features |
The software will be expensive as you have to cover all of the production costs It may take some time to develop the software when special-purpose software could be brought straight away There will be less user support and online help |