Summary Chapter 1 IDM: What is an information system?
Defining information systems:
The definitions focus on two different ways of describing information
systems: the components that make up an information system and the
role those components play in an organization.
The components of information systems:
Information systems can be viewed as having five major components:
hardware, software, data, people, and processes.
The first three are technology. These are probably what you thought of
when defining information systems.
The last two components, people and processes, separate the idea of
information systems from more technical fields, such as computer science.
Technology:
Technology can be thought of as application of scientific knowledge for
practical purposes.
Hardware:
o Hardware is the tangible, physical portion of an information system
– the part you can touch.
Software:
o Software comprises the set of instructions that tell the hardware
what to do. Software is not tangible – it cannot be touched.
o Operating Systems software provides the interface between the
hardware and the Application software.
o Application software allows the user to perform tasks such as
creating documents, recording data in a spreadsheet, or messaging
a friend.
Data:
o You can think of data as a collection of facts, data is also intangible,
unable to be seen in its native state.
Networking communication:
Technically, networking communication component is made up of
hardware and software, but it is such core feature of today’s information
systems that it is its own category.
People:
A focus on the people involved in information systems is the next step.
From the front-line user support staff, to systems analysts, to developers,
all the way up to the chief information officer (CIO), the people involved
with information systems are an essential element.
Process:
A process is a series of steps undertaken to achieve a desired outcome or
goal.
, Information systems are becoming more integrated with organizational
processes, bringing greater productivity and better control to those
processes.
The ultimate goal is to improve processes both internally and externally,
enhancing interfaces with suppliers and customers.
The role of information systems:
You may have even realized that one of the roles of information systems is
to take data and turn it into information, and then transform that
information into organizational knowledge.
As technology has developed, this role has evolved into the backbone of
the organization, making information systems integral to virtually every
business.
, Summary Chapter 1 Sweigart: Python basics
Entering expressions into the interactive shell:
In Python, 2+2 is called an expression, which is the most basic kind of
programming instruction in the language.
Expressions consist of values (such as 2) and operators (such as +) and
they can always evaluate (that is, reduce) down to a single value.
A single value with no operators is also called an expression, though it
evaluates only itself.
The order of operations (precedence) of Python math is similar to that of
mathematics.
The ** operator is evaluated first; the *, / , // and % operators are
evaluated next (from left to right) and the + and – operators are evaluated
last (from left to right).
You can use parentheses to override the usual precedence if you need to.
The integer, floating-point and string data types:
A data type is a category for values, and every value belongs to exactly
one data type.
The values -2 and 30, for example, are said to be integer values. The
integer data type indicates values that are whole numbers.
Numbers with a decimal point, such as 3.14, are called floating-point
numbers.
Python programs can also have text values called strings, these should be
surrounded in single quote (‘) characters, so Python knows where the
string begins and ends.
String concatenation and replication:
+ is addition operator when it operates on two integers or floating-point
values. However, when + is used on two string values, it joins the strings
as the string concatenation operator.
The expression evaluates down to a single, new string value that
combines the text of the two strings.
However, if you try to use the + operator on a string and an integer value,
Python will not know how to handle this and it will display an error
message.
The * operator multiplies two integer or floating-point values. But when
the * operator is used on one string value and one integer value, it
becomes the string replication operator.
The * operator can be used with only two numeric values, or one string
value and one integer value.
Defining information systems:
The definitions focus on two different ways of describing information
systems: the components that make up an information system and the
role those components play in an organization.
The components of information systems:
Information systems can be viewed as having five major components:
hardware, software, data, people, and processes.
The first three are technology. These are probably what you thought of
when defining information systems.
The last two components, people and processes, separate the idea of
information systems from more technical fields, such as computer science.
Technology:
Technology can be thought of as application of scientific knowledge for
practical purposes.
Hardware:
o Hardware is the tangible, physical portion of an information system
– the part you can touch.
Software:
o Software comprises the set of instructions that tell the hardware
what to do. Software is not tangible – it cannot be touched.
o Operating Systems software provides the interface between the
hardware and the Application software.
o Application software allows the user to perform tasks such as
creating documents, recording data in a spreadsheet, or messaging
a friend.
Data:
o You can think of data as a collection of facts, data is also intangible,
unable to be seen in its native state.
Networking communication:
Technically, networking communication component is made up of
hardware and software, but it is such core feature of today’s information
systems that it is its own category.
People:
A focus on the people involved in information systems is the next step.
From the front-line user support staff, to systems analysts, to developers,
all the way up to the chief information officer (CIO), the people involved
with information systems are an essential element.
Process:
A process is a series of steps undertaken to achieve a desired outcome or
goal.
, Information systems are becoming more integrated with organizational
processes, bringing greater productivity and better control to those
processes.
The ultimate goal is to improve processes both internally and externally,
enhancing interfaces with suppliers and customers.
The role of information systems:
You may have even realized that one of the roles of information systems is
to take data and turn it into information, and then transform that
information into organizational knowledge.
As technology has developed, this role has evolved into the backbone of
the organization, making information systems integral to virtually every
business.
, Summary Chapter 1 Sweigart: Python basics
Entering expressions into the interactive shell:
In Python, 2+2 is called an expression, which is the most basic kind of
programming instruction in the language.
Expressions consist of values (such as 2) and operators (such as +) and
they can always evaluate (that is, reduce) down to a single value.
A single value with no operators is also called an expression, though it
evaluates only itself.
The order of operations (precedence) of Python math is similar to that of
mathematics.
The ** operator is evaluated first; the *, / , // and % operators are
evaluated next (from left to right) and the + and – operators are evaluated
last (from left to right).
You can use parentheses to override the usual precedence if you need to.
The integer, floating-point and string data types:
A data type is a category for values, and every value belongs to exactly
one data type.
The values -2 and 30, for example, are said to be integer values. The
integer data type indicates values that are whole numbers.
Numbers with a decimal point, such as 3.14, are called floating-point
numbers.
Python programs can also have text values called strings, these should be
surrounded in single quote (‘) characters, so Python knows where the
string begins and ends.
String concatenation and replication:
+ is addition operator when it operates on two integers or floating-point
values. However, when + is used on two string values, it joins the strings
as the string concatenation operator.
The expression evaluates down to a single, new string value that
combines the text of the two strings.
However, if you try to use the + operator on a string and an integer value,
Python will not know how to handle this and it will display an error
message.
The * operator multiplies two integer or floating-point values. But when
the * operator is used on one string value and one integer value, it
becomes the string replication operator.
The * operator can be used with only two numeric values, or one string
value and one integer value.
