At the office here they are trying to make a portfolio about the stuff we build. The strange thing is they also want to add a list of day to day applications we use. The question came up if we need to add PHP to the list. One of our Delphi/Pascal programmers thought adding the Delphi programming language would be good. I argued that Delphi is not an application but a programming language. Turns out we have a different view on this.
While we build almost every web related bit in PHP. i don’t see it as an application. And application is a layer between the low level computer and the user. The application does what the user wants to preform on the computer. An application can be anything from a simple text editor to a full blown IDE.
And all these applications have one thing in common. They are written in programming languages. Without programming languages there would not be any applications. O well. just my point of view :)
UPDATE*
Ok so i had a good discussion with one of the other Delphi guys. And seems we talk different about the same subject. As i work soly on PHP. PHP is my programming language. And it’s also the interpeter living on the server. So really it’s both an application and a programming language. Now i understand what the Delphi guys meant.
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I am Thijs Lensselink a Webdeveloper from the Netherlands.
You evil troller! ;-)
Applications are compiled executables used by the end-user and doesn’t require a compiler or any programming knowledge to use.
Programming languages are blocks of statements written in a structure (like c#, vb, Object Pascal) that tells a script-processor to build an application. For example c# can be written without the VS ide (that’s a application) and can be compiled using the .NET compiler to a executable.
Many people see delphi also as a programming language but the actual language behind the delphi IDE (application) is Object Pascal. The Delphi IDE is actual a RAD (Rapid Application Development) environment that uses the borland compiler to build a executable (application) out of the built forms and units.
So basically, programming languages are instruction sets that’s being used by a script-processor/compiler.
The difference between a script-processor and a compiler is that you don’t need the compiler to run a compiled application, for a script-processor you need the script-processor to run through the script in order to get the result out of it.
My conclusion; A application is software that works without a compiler, programming languages are instruction sets that is being used by a script-processor or compiler, RAD tools (like delphi, visual studio) are applications that gives the user the ability to write those instruction sets in a proper way (code completion, screen designers).
Thank you Alex very much for the elaborate explenation of this topic :)