Re: Q: Definition of a scripting lang.

Our moderator writes:
>[I suppose one might draw the line by saying that a scripting language is
>one where the main effect of a program is to drive another system, while in a
>programming language the program itself is the main action. -John]


Of course, "traditional" programs are nothing more than scripts for a
microprocessor. :-)


Ultimately, these sorts of distinctions aren't very helpful; at best they
can be descriptive, not proscriptive.


Personally, I view a language as a "scripting" language if (1) whitespace
is significant, and (2) there is an anti-quotation facility to turn
strings into programs. Both are horrid features, and both are amply found
in sh, perl, and Tk. :-)


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Jack Eifrig (eifrig@cs.jhu.edu) The Johns Hopkins University, C.S. Dept.
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