[OT] difference of Scripting and programming

[Jeff Kinz]

On Mon, May 23, 2005 at 12:42:05PM -0700, Ian Puleston wrote:
> > bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of Nathaniel Hall
> > My personal thought is that programs are compiled prior to the user
> > executing it.  A script is compiled at the time it
> > is run.  Is that a good way to differentiate them?
> 
> Not really since Basic is a programming language that's usually interpreted
> rather than compiled. I'm sure most of us know what is scripting and what is
> programming, the problem is putting that down in words. My attempt would be:
> 
> Programming is writing a program of statements that tell something what to
> do. Computer programming is writing a program of statements that tells the
> computer directly (or through an interpreter) what to do.
> 
> Scripting is a type of programming that involves writing a script of
> commands that tell some other program, such as a shell or editor, what to
> do.

Hi Ian, I like this approach.  um, but... 

When you write a C program, isn't the source code a "script of commands"
telling another program (the compiler), what to do?

I think the essence and intent of what you are saying is exactly what I
was thinking, but is there a loophole there ?


> 
> I'd say that's pretty simple and clear cut.
> Ian

-- 
Jeff Kinz, Emergent Research, Hudson, MA.