If I think I will never use it again, never return to it, and no one else will ever use it, it’s a script: a thing that helped me automate just this one thing,

If I think I will never use it again, never return to it, and no one else will ever use it, it’s a script: a thing that helped me automate just this one thing, or do it more efficiently/quickly. If I will ever return to it, or if someone else will use it, it’s a program. I wrote a lot of scripts when I was younger. I regret that. Because of the time I have to spend now, figuring out WTF I meant and why I did it that way. Now I write more (but not all) programs. Costs me more up front, saves me so much tomorrow, next week, etc. (One of the simplest differences is good comments, written on the assumption I won’t in fact remember the motivation for whatever this is/was. That and error checking and sound defensiveness.)