新型信息系统(软件工程系列文章之一)

   新型信息系统New IS Paradigm
   ---软件工程系列文章之一

（来自软件工程论坛 seforum.yeah.net）
 (翻译yanrj 校对：Dave wang)
 
The business of building systems has changed. A time once existed when
computer literacy, technical know-how, and programming skills were all
it took to become a successful information systems professional. In
many companies, this is still the case. But slowly, yet steadily, a new
breed of systems professional is beginning to emerge. Technical skills
are no longer enough. Business knowledge, communication ability, and a
client centered perspective are becoming more and more important. With
computer systems playing an ever increasing role in the management and
the competitiveness of companies of all sizes, the information systems
professional no longer just serves the company, in many case he or she
has a major influence on the way business is conducted.
    系统建造这一工作（业务）已经变了！曾经一度时间，计算机素养、技术细节、
编程技巧是成为一个成功信息系统专业人士的全部。（事实上，）在很多公司里，目前
仍然是这样。但是，慢慢地，新一代的信息系统专业人员正在稳步开始出现。仅有技术
上的技巧已经不够，业务知识、沟通能力、以客户为中心的观点变得越来越重要。随着
计算机系统在各种（或所有）大大小小的公司中的管理和竞争能力方面起的作用越来越
重要，信息系统专业人员不再仅仅是为公司服务，在很多情况下他或她对业务运作的方
式有着关键的影响。
 
What does this mean for today's systems professional?  It means the
burden of keeping up is even more challenging than ever! Systems
professionals must increasingly view themselves as business problem
solvers and business enablers, not just technicians. Computing power
has become a part of corporate strategy, and the system builders are
charged with creating the business information systems "vision" and
making it a reality. Add to this the vast array of technical platforms,
programming languages, databases, and system building methodologies
which are available in today's marketplace, and the job becomes somewhat
overwhelming! So how should the computing professional approach these
challenges?
   
    那么对于今天的系统专业人员来说，这意味着什么呢？ 意味着（系统）维护的
担子比以前更具有挑战性！系统专业人员必须进一步把自己当作业务问题的解决者和
业务使能者，而不仅仅是技术人员。现在，计算能力已成为公司策略的一部分，而系
统开发人员则负责创造业务信息系统的“愿景”，并将它变成现实。加上目前大量在
市场上可获得的技术平台、编程语言、数据库和系统开发方法，这项工作一定程度上
说势在必行！那么，计算业人员应如何面对这些挑战？
 
First, today's system builder must adopt a more business centered
philosophy, and second, he or she must exercise discipline and flexibility
as the company moves through the system building lifecycle. But which
lifecycle? Traditional System Building Approaches, Information Engineering,
Object Oriented Design, Rapid Application Development, and a host of others
all possess inherent strengths and weaknesses. Which one is best? How should
these approach decisions be made?
    首先，今天的系统建造人员必须采纳更加以业务为中心的哲学；其次，随公司沿着
系统建造生命周期的推进，他或她必须训练自己的纪律性和灵活性。然而是哪个生命周期？
传统的系统建造方法，信息工程、面向对象设计、快速应用开发，以及其它方法都具有其固
有的优点和缺点。哪个是最好的？应当如何进行这些方法的决策？
 
Unfortunately, no easy answers exist to these questions. Depending on
circumstances and experience, one approach may be preferable over another.
In other situations, a sampling of techniques and methods from one or more
of the current approaches may be appropriate. What follows within this web
site is a mix. Some of the strengths from the traditional lifecycle are still
present, the foundation of structured analysis is present, many of the
advantages of information engineering have been incorporated, and the new
paradigms of object-oriented analysis, design and programming are included.
    不幸的是，对于这些问题不存在简单的回答。在特定的环境和经验下，一种方法可能要
比其它方法好。然而在其它的环境下，从现有方法中提取的一些技术和方法可能更加合适。
这个网站构造就是一个(这种方法的)混合体。传统生命周期的部分优点依旧存在，结构化分
析的基础依旧存在，而很多信息工程的优点已经被结合，包括面向对象分析、设计、编程等
新方法。
 
The main criteria for discussion here is one of practicality. What are the
approaches which make most sense in today's business climate, and which will
yield the greatest productivity results given the ever increasing quality
demands of the business clients. The other consideration for inclusion here is
that the selected philosophies and approaches are proven and they work. They
have been developed from actual IS implementation and support experiences.
    这里讨论的主要准则是实用性。在今天的商业气候中最起作用的方法是什么，哪种方法
能面对商业客户不断增长的质量需要而产生最大的收益。这里，另一需要考虑的是被选体系
和方法应当是被证实的，并能工作的。它们是在实际的信息系统实施和支持实践中形成的。