It was about Windows 98 that Windows Scripting Host ended up prominent.
WSH btw allowed you to run any language that you had interpreter for - they had to support necessary COM interfaces (and to be truly usable, allow you to call COM objects), and register their interpreter class with ActiveScripting (WSH internal) engine.
Then you could use them not just for desktop automation, but also for scripts inside Internet Explorer (essentially, classic IE used WSH engines to implement scripts, iirc)
I've seen WSH (including HTAs) used with Perl, Python, Tcl, Rexx...so long as you install the interpreter with compatible COM service, you could use it.
WSH btw allowed you to run any language that you had interpreter for - they had to support necessary COM interfaces (and to be truly usable, allow you to call COM objects), and register their interpreter class with ActiveScripting (WSH internal) engine.
Then you could use them not just for desktop automation, but also for scripts inside Internet Explorer (essentially, classic IE used WSH engines to implement scripts, iirc)
I've seen WSH (including HTAs) used with Perl, Python, Tcl, Rexx...so long as you install the interpreter with compatible COM service, you could use it.