Python is the best and most popular general purpose scripting language; the universal scripting language

[John Roth]

"Roy Smith" <roy at panix.com> wrote in message
news:roy-22B4DA.18282210042004 at reader1.panix.com...
> rstephens at vectron.com (Ron Stephens) wrote:
> > Python is the best and most popular general purpose scripting
> > language.
>
> Which raises the question, exactly what makes something a "scripting"
> langauge?  When I tell people I do Python, they often say something
> like, "that's a scripting language, right?".  My usual response is
> something along the lines of "Well, I suppose that depends on who you
> ask" and I'm not sure what to say after that.
>
> So, what makes something a "scripting language" as opposed to a
> "programming language"?

The distinction isn't "scripting" versus "programming" language,
it's "scripting" versus something that doesn't really have a name.
Scripts are executed from the top down once. In other languages
(such as Java and C++) there's a designated starting point (main())
that the compiler locates.

Python is a scripting language because each module is executed
from the top down as its loaded.

As far as being most popular, I think Perl is still well ahead of
it, and it's still well ahead of Ruby. I don't have a good feel for
where either PHP or TCL stand in the "most popular" sweepstakes.

John Roth