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Is Python programming language?

Terry Reedy tjreedy at udel.edu
Sat Feb 9 21:47:26 EST 2013 
On 2/9/2013 6:26 PM, Tim Roberts wrote:
> Grant Edwards <invalid at invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>
>> IMO, a "scripting language" is used to automate tasks that would
>> otherwise be done by a human sitting at a keyboard typing commands.
>> [Perhaps that definition should be extended to include tasks that
>> would otherwise by done by a human sitting and clicking on a GUI.]
>
> I think that definition is a little too neat and clean.
>
> Most people would call bash a "scripting language", but it is also clearly
> a programming language.  It has syntax, variables and expressions.  I
> suspect it is Turing-complete, although I haven't seen a proof of that.
>
> I would assert that scripting languages are a proper subset of programming
> languages, not a separate category.

To me, 'scripting languages' include some non-Turing-complete languages 
and I would not call those 'programming languages'.


-- 
Terry Jan Reedy
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