The hardware and software of any computer needs to be upgraded every once in a while. This is a routine requirement considering that there are several new bugs that are constantly coming along and they need to be dealt with in order to protect your computer.
The terms update and upgrade are often used together and are perceived to be the same thing. An update in software is simply an improvement on the software code that protects your system from any bugs online. An upgrade is when a large chunk of the program is re-coded to improve on the performance of the software.
An update is defined by small decimal digit increments. Therefore, the software on version 4.2.01 becomes 4.2.03 and this shows a really small indication of an update. An upgrade is represented by a primary version of the number. Therefore, a version 3.0 becomes 4.0 or 5.0 and so on. There is no fixed rule on how these versions should be written. Sometimes writers of a software program simply bundle together a number of fixes and release a new version of the software.
Another way in which you can upgrade your computer software is through freeware and open source. You can do this by following earlier directions for downloads. As soon as new freeware is found, it downloads it to the computer and upgrades your computer instantly.
Once you are used to having a computer around, you will be sure of what upgrades and updates your system will need; based on this, you will always have the latest software on your system.