Why do we call python a scripting language?

[Paul Prescod]

Guy Oliver wrote:
> 
> Even after explaining it to them, and telling them my success
> stories, the improvements in productivity, the portability, etc, it
> seems that python suffers from the same view that hurts other
> interpreted languages, specifically, that interpreted languages,
> aka scripting languages, are for throw-away scripts, nothing more.

The irony is that Python would be more acceptable to some people if it
came with these shell scripts:

pycc: python -c "import %1"

pyrun: python %1

Anyhow, "everybody knows" that Java is the language of the future and
not only is it usually (byte)interpreted it is actually part of the Java
religion that it MUST be byte-interpreted. Cygnus' compiled Java is
heresy!

Seriously though, it would be worth some effort to make sure that
JPython and Cygnus's compiler are compatible. It would be especially
cool if old Python modules could be somehow linked in through the
embedded C runtime.

 Paul Prescod