Could someone inform me, or point to a URL where it describes what a script actually is?

On Linux, is it just a C++ file compiled, or, just what is it? how do I make them/run them?

stuff like this doesn't help me much.

Well, not EXACTLY sure what you're asking but...

A script is a non-compiled program. That is the easiest way to describe it.

A script can be written in a thousand different languages/ways.

For example, this is a script I actually use:

--SNIP--

#!/usr/bin/bash

cat /proc/cpuinfo
uname
free -m
df -kf

--SNIP--

It just runs all four of those commands. The only complicated part is the first line: that just tells the kernel what the script is written for.

You can script in shells (bash, tcsh, etc) specific scripting languages (perl, javascript, php) and sometimes you can write scripts in languages that are normally compiled (there is functionality for C, java, others).

Hope that answers your question!

Realized I didn't answer your last question:

To run a script, you simply enter it into a file using whatever editor you prefer, and then make sure that file is set to be executable.

If you run a "ls -l" it will show you what flags are set for each file:
r - read
w - write
x - executable

You can use the "chmod" command to change these settings. Then you can run the script like any other program/command.

A bash script in Linux is just a simple text file containing a list of "instructions" to be executed when run - you can create a bash script by openeing a text file and putting #!bin/bash as the first line then putting your "instructions" below it - make sure you make the file executable with chmod 755 filename, and make sure you put it in your PATH - you can run it with

bash filename

Generally, a script is a file which contains a sequence of commands or instructions to be executed. A script is passed on to an interpreter, a program that understands the instructions in the script file. The interpreter can be anything ranging from command-shells like /bin/bash to high-level programming languages like Perl or Python.

Many people know one form of scripts: MS-DOS batch (.bat) files.

On the contrary, files (such as C/C++ files), which are not interpreted but compiled and linked in order to build an executable program , are not referred to as scripts but source code.

That all answers my question. Thanks