When does "scripting" become "programming"?

[thatshelby]

Its why Javascript is called "Java"-"Script" instead of just "Java" (even though its relatively the same).

it's not called java because Java came first, and that would confuse a lot of people.


Personally I don't care. I make games, I don't consider myself a programmer. I don't care what I use.

[Mud]

My 2 cents:

Scripting is programming. What makes programming "scripting" is context. If an application exposes a language for the express purpose of extension/customization, that's it's scripting interface, and whatever language being used for that is it's "scripting language".

There's a strong association between dynamic languages and scripting, but that's just because dymamic languages are so well suited for scripting that most scripting languages are dynamic. However, Quake was scripted in interpreted C, Quake 2 was scripted in compile C++, etc. so scripting languages aren't always dynamic, just as dynamic languages aren't always used for scripting.

In Love, you write applications in Lua. That's not scripting. If you were to expose and API for end users (or internal art staff, etc.) to extend/customize your app, that would be scripting. Both are programming. The difference is context, where "scripting" refers to an extensibility layer built on top of the core system.

[Robin]

I don't want to add any more to this senseless discussion, I just want to add some corrections:

Using a calculator is a form of programming.

Hardly. If it were so, then using Excel and playing FarmVille is programming as well.

Its why Javascript is called "Java"-"Script" instead of just "Java" (even though its relatively the same).

That one is just false. JavaScript is not based on Java, it was called LiveScript at first, but changed later to JavaScript (probably because Java was popular, and they wanted LiveScript to lift on that fame. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript#History)

Please someone close this thread, most sensible things have been said in the first page or thereabouts.

[Mud]

Its why Javascript is called "Java"-"Script" instead of just "Java" (even though its relatively the same).

JavaScript is "relatively the same" as Java in the same way that Java is "relatively the same" as C, which is to say, not very much. The similarity is this case is entirely superficial, extending no further than the use of C-like syntax (which is true of C++, Java, C#, Perl, PHP, JavaScript, et al.)

Java is a statically typed, strongly typed, compiled language. JavaScript is a dynamically typed, weakly typed, interpreted (though often JIT-compiled) language.

[kikito]

Hardly. If it were so, then using Excel and playing FarmVille is programming as well.

I agree on FarmVille. But Excel has a programming language. Not turing complete, but a language nonetheless. I would say it is the most widely written programming language. You can do pretty wicked things with it once you know the internals.

And, of course, it is also programmable with Visual Basic for applications. Which is a sucky language, but it's turing complete.

With Visual Basic, it's possible to use Excel to render videogames. Indeed, there is a full Pacman implementation in Excel, with sound and everything.

Its why Javascript is called "Java"-"Script" instead of just "Java"

Uranus isn't called like that because of "anus"

The reason was purely commercial. The guys naming the language thought "What is cool these days? Java? Well, then we must put Java somewhere in our name". And that was it. The original name of the language was ECMAScript, which has much less punch.

[vrld]

Its why Javascript is called "Java"-"Script" instead of just "Java" (even though its relatively the same).

I like to imagine that right now three former Netscape managers and are standing around in a little room drinking Prosecco and congratulating each other that their plan really worked.

Exel [...] Not turing complete

This guy begs to differ.

[Robin]

(I know, I know, but I just had to come back to say this:)

The reason was purely commercial. The guys naming the language thought "What is cool these days? Java? Well, then we must put Java somewhere in our name". And that was it. The original name of the language was ECMAScript, which has much less punch.

Reminds me of http://james-iry.blogspot.com/2009/05/b ... wrong.html

1995 - Brendan Eich reads up on every mistake ever made in designing a programming language, invents a few more, and creates LiveScript. Later, in an effort to cash in on the popularity of Java the language is renamed JavaScript. Later still, in an effort to cash in on the popularity of skin diseases the language is renamed ECMAScript.