文档介绍：Management Information Systems, 3 rd Edition Effy Oz1 Information Systems in Business: Software Management Information Systems, 3 rd Edition Effy Oz2 Learning Objectives ? When you finish this chapter, you will: – Understand why managers must keep abreast of software developments. – Recognize the different generations of programming languages and how they differ. – Understand the difference between application software and system software. Management Information Systems, 3 rd Edition Effy Oz3 Learning Objectives – Know the strengths and weaknesses of tailored software vs. off-the-shelf software. – Be able to cite the latest major developments in application and system software. – Recognize characteristics that are important in evaluating packaged software application for business use. Management Information Systems, 3 rd Edition Effy Oz4 Software: Instructions to puter ? puter program is a series of instructions to puter to execute any and all processes. ? Computers only “ understand ” instructions consisting of electrical signals alternating between two states. Management Information Systems, 3 rd Edition Effy Oz5 Programming Languages ? Programming languages – Abbreviated forms of instructions that translate into machine language – New programming languages make programming easier for people who are not necessarily hardware experts Management Information Systems, 3 rd Edition Effy Oz6 Programming Languages ? Machine Languages (ML) – Only puters can directly interpret to carry out instructions – ML coding: time-consuming and error-prone – ML programmers: concerned with hardware details – puter or family puters has its own ML; each is machine-dependent. Management Information Systems, 3 rd Edition Effy Oz7 Programming Languages ? Assembly Languages – Represent a string of ‘0s’ and ‘1s’ for machine language instruction – More English-like; codes shorter than machine languages – Assembler translates into machine language – Advantages of