Which term refers to the ability of software to continue to function without failure?

The term that refers to the ability of software to continue to function without failure is reliability. Reliability is a fundamental characteristic of software systems and is often measured by the software's ability to perform its intended functions under specified conditions over a designated period of time. In essence, reliable software performs its expected tasks consistently, without causing unexpected errors or failing.

Reliability encompasses various aspects, including fault tolerance, error handling, and the software's ability to recover from failures. Therefore, when discussing software performance and quality, reliability is a key metric that reflects how dependable the software is in various operating environments.

In the context of the other options, robustness refers to the software's ability to handle unexpected inputs or stressful conditions without crashing, which is a slightly different focus. Maturity relates more to the evolution and development stage of the software, typically indicating the extent to which a product has been tested, is feature-complete, and can sustain maintenance. Stability points to how consistent the software's performance is over time, but it does not directly equate to the ongoing performance without failures as reliability does.