scripting on top of structural

[Benjamin Tai]

Hi,

Please note that this message is posted on Python and Tcl newsgroup, and
VTK mailing list.

When an application written in a structural language is extended with a
scripting language, there are many improved functionalities.

1) Packages for GUI (in C/C++ case)
2) Wider range of libraries, easier interprocess communication.
3) Expose the application to a wider range of community.
4) Simplified syntax, speed up prototyping.
5) Ready to be embedded into foreign application as scripting language
functioned as a glue.

Such applications, fabricated by a "composition of languages" include
Visualization Toolkit (VTK) and Video Conferencing (VIC).

However are there any other reasons for such composition?

>From the applications mentioned above, scripts only contain high level
descriptions of pipeline and datapath respectively. They have limited
access to the inner core of the application, thus the behaviour of the
engine.

Any comments for the following questions are appreciated:

Despite the limitation, have I missed out any other potential benefits
provided by "composition of languages" on VTK and VIC?
Apart from the difference in performance and syntax, are there any
reasons to separate the implementation into two languages?
Are there any other examples of applicaitons implemented with
"composition of languages"?
Most importantly, would there be any applicaitons implemented with
"composition of languages" that has overcome the limitation described?

Thanks

Ben