You've perhaps heard about something called scripting, or maybe you've heard of languages
like JavaScript, VBScript, Tcl and others (those languages are called scripting languages). You
may thus be wondering if scripting is the same as programming, and/or what the differences are,
and so on. People get quite passionate about this question, so I'm just going to cover it briefly and
technically. Here are some facts:
Scripting is essentially a type of programming.
Scripting languages have a few minor technical differences which aren't important to
discuss at this point.
Scripting languages tend to be interpreted rather than compiled, which means that you
don't need to compile them. they're compiled "on the fly" (i.e. when necessary, right
before they're run). This can make it faster to program in them (since you always have
the source code, and don't need to take the deliberate extra step of compiling).
The fact that scripting languages are interpreted generally makes them slower than.programming
languages for intensive operations (like complex calculations).
Scripting languages are often easier to learn than programming languages, but usually
aren't as powerful or flexible.
For programming things like applications for personal computers, you'll need to use a
programming language rather than a scripting language.
Scripting languages can be excellent for beginners: they tend to be easier to learn, and they
insulate you from some of the technical aspects of programming (compiling, for one). However,
if you're serious about programming, you won't be able to stay with a scripting language forever
you will move on to a programming language at some point. I'd say that it's good to know a
scripting language or two, and even to start with a scripting language rather than a programming
language. However, there's a point of view which says that, by protecting and "hand-holding" too
much, scripting languages don't properly prepare you for "serious" programming, and set you up
for a bit of a learning curve when you move on to a programming language.

1, deliberate  [di'libəreit]
a. 故意的,深思熟虑的
v. 仔细考虑
vt. 研讨