Re: is tcl/tk dying out?!

Eckhard Lehmann wrote:

No I won't make memory footprints. But another one: Tcl's focus has
always been to be an integration language, meant to be included in
other programs as an extension script language. For that it is good to
be a small language package without much overhead, yet to be extensible
with whatever functionality you want.

Right. But this is not a discrepancy I think. Linking against a core
library, that only includes the language interpreter to extend your app
should not be a problem.

For threads this means that you
may want to run a Tcl interpreter inside your target application in
just one thread - and then you don't need script access to threads -
you even might not want to have it at all. That's the reason for the
Threads extension to be an extension.
But still it should be part of a standard library (which in turn should
be an extension, IMO).

I think, the standard library should be part of the languages core
distribution as it is in Python. Again I say, we should learn from the
success of other languages. It is no problem to link the Python interpreter
into your app as an extension language (we do this - I wish it were Tcl,
but it's Python and JavaScript, because they are more shiny. Tcl was used
years ago and dropped because in the point of view of the people in charge
Tcl is a dying language...) and deliver only the parts which are needed for
your app. This doesn't make your app too huge, and as an extension language
bound to a specific app it is normal not to have a full blown programming
environment. But when Python is used as a scripting language standalone, it
has everything needed in the core distribution. The same should be possible
with Tcl, I think.

Regards
Stephan

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: man 3 switch
    ... So the built-in TCL keyword is entitled to a man page but the C keyword is not? ... C is not an extensible language. ... In fact, it is an extension, just the same way that the ... page for some version of some dialect of some compiler's switch statement is ...
    (Fedora)
  • Re: Goodbye TCL
    ... anyone that likes TCL and TK and wants to see ... support for the language increase rather then decrease and usage increase ... Unfortunately it is not the TCL core, it comes with restrictions, anf it ... "distribution of record" for what clearly many users want - an extension ...
    (comp.lang.tcl)
  • Re: is tcl/tk dying out?!
    ... other programs as an extension script language. ... Threads extension to be an extension. ... It is no problem to link the Python interpreter ... into your app as an extension language (we do this - I wish it were Tcl, ...
    (comp.lang.tcl)
  • Re: OO and Extending (Was: Is Procedural Paradigm a basis of OO Paradigm?)
    ... That greatly depends on the language. ... You have to *show* OOP being better, not merely claim you are smart ... I find at least two problems with OO's approach to "extension without ... It works for systems programming, ...
    (comp.object)
  • Re: So confused with scheme options
    ... tower of libraries and procedures. ... language, what's an expected library function for most implementations, ... extension of blah or whatever. ... This is the "module" language of PLT, ...
    (comp.lang.scheme)