Page 622 - Introduction to Business

596 PART 6 Managing Business Operations, Management Information Systems, and the Digital Enterprise

One way of classifying application software is as general-
purpose or application-specific. General-purpose software
is programs that perform common information processing
jobs for end users. Examples of general-purpose software
are word processors such as Microsoft Word and WordPer-
fect, electronic spreadsheets such as Microsoft Excel and
Lotus 1-2-3, and presentation graphics such as Microsoft
PowerPoint and Lotus Freelance Graphics. Application-
specific software is programs that support specific applica-
tions for end users in business and other fields. Examples of
application-specific software are investment analysis pro-
grams, accounting programs, and sales management pro-
grams.
Application software is created by using one or more
programming languages. A programming language is the
tool that the programmer uses to develop the sets of
instructions that constitute a software program. Program-
ming languages have evolved through four generations. The
first generation of programming languages was machine
languages, all programming instructions had to be written
using binary code. Machine languages are difficult and error-
United Corrstack, Inc. production manager Ronald Johnson prone. For example, to compute the sum of two numbers as
(left) and mill manager Art McLaughlin using a management expressed by the formula A B C, the machine language
information system at their Reading, Pennsylvania plant.
instructions would be
1010 11001
general-purpose software The set of
software programs that perform 1011 11010
common information processing jobs, 1100 11011 3
such as word processing, for end users
Assembler languages are the second generation of programming languages.
application-specific software The set
of software programs that support Assembler languages use translator programs called assemblers to convert sym-
specific applications, such as bolic instructions into machine language. For example, to compute the sum of two
investment analysis, for end users in numbers as expressed by the formula A B C, assembler language instructions
business and other fields
would be
programming language The tool that a
programmer uses to develop the sets of LOD B
instructions that constitute a software ADD C
program
STR A 4
machine languages First-generation
programming languages where all High-level languages are the third generation of programming languages. High-
programming instructions had to be level languages use translator programs called compilers to convert statements,
written using binary code
which are more like natural language, into machine language. When compiled,
assembler languages Second-
generation programming languages that each statement in a high-level language generates several machine language
convert symbolic instructions into instructions. Widely used high-level languages are FORTRAN, COBOL, BASIC, Pas-
machine language cal, C, and C. For example, to compute the sum of two numbers as expressed by
high-level languages Third-generation the formula A B C, the respective BASIC and COBOL statements would be
programming languages that convert
natural-language-like statements into A B C
machine language COMPUTE A B C 5

fourth-generation languages Fourth-generation languages consist of a variety of programming languages
Programming languages that are less that are less procedural than earlier programming languages and are very close to
procedural than earlier programming
languages and are very close to human human languages. Procedural languages have to specify the sequence of steps that
languages tell the computer what to do and how to do it. Fourth-generation languages allow
the user to indicate the results she or he wants, and then the computer determines
the series of instructions that will achieve the desired result. For example, to com-

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