| | Software : Development | 
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Usually if you want your computer to perform a particular job then you can go to a shop and purchase a software package that will do that job. Software packages that are readily available from shops are known as "off-the-shelf" packages.
Sometimes more than one package will be available which could perform the job you need to do. If this is the case then you will need to look at the features of the different packages to select the most appropriate package.
If no package exists that will do the job you need then there are two options available to you :
| Customise a Generic Software Package | Sometimes a generic package such as a database can be customised (modified) to carry out the job you want. For example a database could be customised to act as a rentals system for a video shop. |
| Custom Written Software | A computer programmer could produce a completely new program in a programming language to do exactly what you want it to. This option is usually very expensive as much more work is required to write a new piece of software from scratch than to customise a generic software package. It will also take longer to produce a system this way. However the resulting system will do exactly what you want it to. This may not be possible when a generic package is customised. |
GCSE ICT Companion 04 - (C) P Meakin 2004