Systems described as one of:
- Probabilistic System
- Affected by chance events
- Future behaviour of system is matter of probability
- E.g. political systems, business systems and social systems
- Deterministic System
- Operate to predetermined set of rules
- E.g. data processing systems and the planetary system
Software and networks are deterministic systems implemented in probabilistic systems (e.g. businesses) resulting in issues of complexity affecting implementation.
Systems can also be classified as:
- Engineered systems – engineered by mankind
- Physical systems – systems that physically exist
- Environmental and Ecology systems – support world around mankind
- Organisational systems – systems that mankind participate in
- Natural systems – systems of nature, e.g. the human body
System can fall into more than one classification, e.g. the Internet is both a physical system and an engineered system.
Potential System Purposes of the Internet as a system:
- A system to deliver data
- A system to deliver data in packets
- A system to deliver data with no standards of service or security
- A system to deliver data by the fastest possible route