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Python is the best and most popular general purpose scripting
language. That is, Python is the best and most popular general
purpose, dynamic, interpreted language. Sure, there are other
scripting languages that are more popular for specific application
domains, and there are big company backed systems languages that are
far more popular; but in its niche, Python is tops.

Being open source, and not backed by big companies' marketing dollars,
Python is not even in the same league as Java, and the .NET languages
C# and VB.Net. Those corporate backed entities have incredibly
powerful tools, IDE's and marketing dollars behind them.

And, among scripting languages PHP is tops for server side web
scripting, Perl is number one for text parsing and CGI, Ruby is
perhaps most popular with object oriented purists who don't mind the
Perl-like syntax, and Javascript is most popular for client side web
scripting, given its nearly universal support by web browsers. But for
general purpose scripting, Python is clearly number one and gaining in
strength.

That positions Python as the universal scripting language. Not only
does the Python virtual machine run on almost every platform, but
Jython is available for the JVM and IronPython is in the works for
..Net and Mono.

Let's face it, we could sit around and bemoan the fact that the big
commercial "systems" languages have such incredible tool support and
marketing muscle, such as the .Net juggernaut and the IBM, SUN, BEA
and other IDE's for Java.

But, better to take heart that for the pure writing of code, Python
has the opportunity to become the universal solvent. It just may be
that, twenty years from now, Python code will run everywhere, and will
be the scripting language of choice on all the big company IDE's as
well.

There may by then be a lot of application areas where subject
specialists create their own database front end's and customize real
applications, by using big company tools that require no code to be
written at all. But, computers will always need actual code, and
Python can be the lingua franca.

And on top of all that, while .NET, Eclipse, JBuilder etc. may
outclass any one Python tool, we do have a plethora of good choices
for almost any job requirement, including good access to about every
important GUI toolkit imaginable, and we even have easy point and
click GUI builders like PythonCard and the on-coming industrial
strength Boa Constructor.

So, Python is well on its way to world domination, just not in the
same manner as Java or C#. Python is more like an underground movement
that sneaks in around the edges and winds up playing a most
significant role for the long run.

Long live Python, the universal solvent!

Ron Stephens
www.awaretek.com/weblog/index.html

(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"?

"Roy Smith" <> wrote in message
news:roy-...
> (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

Roy Smith <> pisze:

> So, what makes something a "scripting language" as opposed to a
> "programming language"?

I think the opposition of "scripting language" would be "general purpose
language", not "programming language".

--
Jarek Zgoda
http://jpa.berlios.de/

Jonathan Daugherty wrote:

> # So, what makes something a "scripting language" as opposed to a
> # "programming language"?
>
> In a general sense I think "programming" languages are compiled and
> "scripting" languages are interpreted. (If you want to go academic,
> you could say python is both, but the internals of the interpreter are
> irrelavant insofar as one might say it is an interpreted language.)
>

So which is Lisp? Prolog? Smalltalk? ML?

What happens if I compile Python to a binary via Pyrex or to JVM
bytecodes via Jython?

I propose:

A scripting language is a language that makes scripting (gluing together
components) easy.

A programming language is a language that makes programming (including
the creation of components) easy.

Python is both.

Paul Prescod

# So which is Lisp? Prolog? Smalltalk? ML?

I didn't claim that it necessarily holds for every language.

# A scripting language is a language that makes scripting (gluing together
# components) easy.

You're defining it in terms of itself; what is scripting? The use of
scripting languages, or the accomplishment of tasks quickly and
easily? Some would argue the latter can be done with programming
languages.

# A programming language is a language that makes programming (including
# the creation of components) easy.

By this metric many languages are both, since the definition is
subjective.

--
_ ,^. _
,'/ -' '- \`.
/ | \ / | \ Jonathan Daugherty
| | | | | |
| \_,' `._/ | http://www.cprogrammer.org
| |
\ /
`. .'
`--._.--'

Jarek Zgoda <> wrote in message news:<c59u4k$ki9$>...
> Roy Smith <> pisze:
>
> > So, what makes something a "scripting language" as opposed to a
> > "programming language"?
>
> I think the opposition of "scripting language" would be "general purpose
> language", not "programming language".


Hmm, yes, I think you are all correct. I was a little sloppy in my
choice of the words "programming language" to oppose "scripting
language".

I guess my main point is, Python is the best general purpose scripting
language. Maybe I (and maybe some other folks too?) sort of wanted
Python to out-compete Java and C#: but it isn't happening. Likewise,
as someone said, Perl is definitely more popular still than Python,
BUT, I think Python is more general purpose than Perl. Perl has a heck
of a lot of libraries (CPAN etc) and Perl is great for text
processing; I also can't help but notice that Perl is the most
commonly available and well supported language for CGI. But Perl
doesn't get used for apps like Zope and Chandler, Python does. PHP is,
for that matter, more popular than Python also, but for a limited
problem domain.

For better or worse, Python isn't going to be as entrenched in the
corporate world as Java or .Net any time soon. Neither is Python going
to displace PHP as most popular in PHP's domain, nor will Python even
surpass Perl in absolute terms any time soon.

BUT, Python is the most general purpose of the scripting languages and
this gives Python a very interesting niche for the long term. Having
Jython and now IronPython is a nice long term situation also.

This may be a case of the tortoise beating the hare; but its not going
to be just because the tortoise is the underdog and people's favorite;
Python has something very real going for it, the fact that Python is
the best and most popular general purpose scripting language.

I know some of us take offense at the very term "scripting language"
when its applied to Python, thinking that Python should be compared
directly with Java and its ilk; that was one of my motivations to post
this. I think we should get over it.

There is nothing wrong with being a scripting language. Some people
think scripting languages are the future. And Python is the best
general purpose scripting language. Python, I think, has the chance to
become the universal scripting language, the universal solvent among
programming languages, ubiquitous but certainly not alone.

Sorry for my sloppy use of words in the original post.

And, of course, many feel that it is just plain silly and pointless to
talk about which languages are most popular and which are gaining or
losing in the popularity race for the future. I hope those people will
just ignore this thread or at least not flame me too hotly ))

Ron Stephens

(Ron Stephens) wrote:
> [...]
> Python is the best general purpose scripting language.
> [...]
> Python is the most general purpose of the scripting languages
> [...]
> Python is the best and most popular general purpose scripting language.
> [...]
> Python is the best general purpose scripting language.

Come on Ron, tell us how you really feel

I always thought "scripting language" means interpreted instead of
compiled into machine code (not bytecode).

Although where that definition puts Java, I don't know.....

As far as [popularity] ranking goes, I would say with 99% confidence
that Perl is #1 for web and sysadmin applications.

For web apps, I'd then say PHP, for sysadmin or prototyping tasks, I'd
say Python would be #2.

John Roth wrote:
> 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.

By that definition, these would be scripting languages:

Algol 60
Algol 68
APL
Basic (traditional)
BCPL
Focal
Forth
Fortran
Intel 8086 assembly in a "com" format executable
Lisp
Pascal
PostScript
Simula
Snobol
Turing (language)
Turing (machine)

I may have one or two of those wrong, but you get the idea...

Wikipedia has a pretty good article on scripting languages:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scripting_language

Even as informative as the article is, in the end it nearly gives up on the
idea of distinguishing between scripting and other languages: "However, the
boundary between scripting languages and regular programming languages tends
to be vague, and is blurring ever more with the emergence of new languages
and integrations in this fast-changing area."

-Mike