Software release

A software release is to create a new version of the system or program and release it to the user community. Each time a software system or program is changed, the programmers and company doing the work decide how to distribute the changes or the the changed system or program to those people using it.

A software patch is a method of distributing the changes. It is either a program that modifies the original unchanged system or program to create the new one or a list of instructions for a person who follows them to create a new one.