Re: Scripting vs. Programming language vs. 4GL?

Duane Murphy <damurphy@wc.novell.com>
Wed, 25 Aug 1993 19:09:17 GMT

          From comp.compilers

Related articles
Scripting vs. Programming language vs. 4GL? tellab5!odgate!dbk@uunet.UU.NET (1993-08-20)
Re: Scripting vs. Programming language vs. 4GL? prener@watson.ibm.com (1993-08-23)
Re: Scripting vs. Programming language vs. 4GL? prechelt@ira.uka.de (1993-08-23)
Re: Scripting vs. Programming language vs. 4GL? damurphy@wc.novell.com (Duane Murphy) (1993-08-25)
Re: Scripting vs. Programming language vs. 4GL? lwall@netlabs.com (1993-08-29)
Re: Scripting vs. Programming language vs. 4GL? TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM (Paul Robinson) (1993-08-29)
Re: Scripting vs. Programming language vs. 4GL? julian@feenix.metronet.com (Phillip Julian Eby) (1993-08-31)
Re: Scripting vs. Programming language vs. 4GL? ch+@cs.cmu.edu (1993-08-30)
Re: Scripting vs. Programming language vs. 4GL? prechelt@ira.uka.de (Lutz Prechelt) (1993-08-30)
Re: Scripting vs. Programming language vs. 4GL? ram+@cs.cmu.edu (1993-08-30)
[5 later articles]
| List of all articles for this month |

Newsgroups: comp.compilers
From: Duane Murphy <damurphy@wc.novell.com>
Keywords: interpreter
Organization: Novell, Inc.
References: 93-08-096
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 19:09:17 GMT

tellab5!odgate!dbk@uunet.UU.NET writes:
>I'm embroiled in a debate with my colleagues over the difference between
>the term "programming language" and the term "scripting language". I think
>that a scripting language is a very limited, high-level language that is
>application-specific and intended to be for simple repetition and
>sequencing of the application's commands (i.e., a macro language is a
>scripting language). On the other hand, a programming language usually
>contains all of the requisite components that allow a sophisticated,
>Turing-equivalent, program to be built; components such as definable
>functions, variables, arrays, and the like.


Just to use your own definition the Tool Command Language (Tcl) has all
of these requirements; definable functions with parameters, variables,
arrays, etc. But Tcl "programs" are refered to as scritpts.


My personal definition is based on intereter versus compiled. Something
that is interpreted is a script something that is compiled is a program.
But there goes those darn exceptions; what about a C interpreter? Does
the program magically become a script?


I think that "script" implies something "simpler" than a "program".
Although nothing prevents a script from becoming a more complex program.


...Duane
--


Post a followup to this message

Return to the comp.compilers page.
Search the comp.compilers archives again.