...Well, that's flat-out ridiculous.
Perl is HARD compared to Applescript.
That is a matter of opinion.
Actually, it's NOT a matter of opinion. Many people have differing opinions, but that's not the same thing.
It's a matter of marketing, flat out.
However, AppleScript is a "scripting" language, and Perl is a "programming language" - at least by marketing....
I regard Perl as a scripting language, and generally refer to perl programs as 'scripts.' Many people regard scripting languages as those where a 'script' is text file of a block of code that is interpreted rather than compiled, so your semantic distinction can be tenuous here.
I agree that the semantic distinction is very tenuous. However, I disclaim any ownership or responsibility for it - it's not *my* distinction. It's a marketing distinction, and personally I find it not only a patently false distinction but also an intentionally misleading one - "AppleScript is easy, not like those other guys! You'll be up and running and doing really cool things and being super productive with AppleScript in *no time*." That may in fact be true in some cases, but it doesn't mean that you'll be doing any of those things well.
If a language is Turing complete, it's a programming language. I have no idea what a 'scripting' language is.
<snipped lots of stuff that I agree with and believe support my point>
But I fully agree with Chris that it is purely a matter of opinion whether Perl is hard compared to AS, and I would add that programming backgrounds, learning styles and other factors are likely to come into play.
Yes. But AppleScript is *marketed* as being "easier" than Perl, or Cocoa, or any other "programming" language. So the distinction is not a matter of opinion, it's a matter of marketing.
-jeff
