At what point does a config file become a programming language?

Question

I have been mulling over config files and their relationship to code for a while now and depending on the day and direction of the wind my opinions seem to change. More and mor

Answer 1

I'll be the contrarian and submit it's only a language when it embodies more than can be represented by XML; or else when XML is considered to be a language.

Alternatively, most config files can be thought of as classes, but with only properties and no methods. And without methods, I don't think it's a language.

Ultimately, "language" is a squishy abstraction, but yes, the edges are ambiguous.