evans@decvax.DEC.COM (Marc Evans) (04/05/91)
This is probably most directed at Larry, but I'm posting this to see if other
readers of this group have been having simular thoughts.
After having been a perl user for about 2 years, I have recently been introduced
to Tcl, the Embeddable Command Language created (at least in part) by John K.
Ousterhout at UCB. After playing with Tcl, I find that there are features of
perl that I would like in Tcl, while at the same time thinking that there are
features of Tcl that I would like in perl. I guess that ideally, I would like
to see a merged toolset, combining perl and Tcl into one nifty package.
Are there others who have experienced with both packages that read this group?
If so, have you found yourself thinking the same thoughts as I? My principal
question though is (Larry) Are you fimiliar with Tcl and does it seem reasonable
to merge the two packages in some form?
- Marc
--
===========================================================================
Marc Evans - WB1GRH - evans@decvax.DEC.COM | Synergytics (603)635-8876
Unix and X Software Consultant | 21 Hinds Ln, Pelham, NH 03076
===========================================================================barnett@grymoire.crd.ge.com (Bruce Barnett) (04/06/91)
In article <21782@shlump.nac.dec.com> evans@decvax.DEC.COM (Marc Evans) writes: >If so, have you found yourself thinking the same thoughts as I? My principal >question though is (Larry) Are you fimiliar with Tcl and does it seem reasonable >to merge the two packages in some form? How about merging perl, Tcl, and Xtk? Then we can write X Window programs in Perl! And since Tcl can communicate with other programs that also use Tcl, we can have pwm (Perl window manager)! (Half :-) -- Bruce G. Barnett barnett@crdgw1.ge.com uunet!crdgw1!barnett
jhh@sprite.berkeley.edu (John H. Hartman) (04/06/91)
In article <BARNETT.91Apr5131626@grymoire.crd.ge.com> barnett@crdgw1.ge.com writes: >In article <21782@shlump.nac.dec.com> evans@decvax.DEC.COM (Marc Evans) writes: >>If so, have you found yourself thinking the same thoughts as I? My principal >>question though is (Larry) Are you fimiliar with Tcl and does it seem reasonable >>to merge the two packages in some form? > >How about merging perl, Tcl, and Xtk? > >Then we can write X Window programs in Perl! >And since Tcl can communicate with other programs that also use Tcl, we >can have pwm (Perl window manager)! > >(Half :-) > >-- >Bruce G. Barnett barnett@crdgw1.ge.com uunet!crdgw1!barnett I thought about doing this a few months ago, but haven't got around to it. I'm not sure what you mean by "merging" tcl and perl, but I want to create a tcl/perl interface that is similar to the tcl/c interface. That way one could write a perl script that creates tcl interpreters, passes them commands, and has the tcl interpreter call perl routines when necessary. This would make it very easy to write X applications in perl, as well as applications that communicate with one another. What I just described shouldn't be too hard to do. There are a couple of reasons why I haven't done it yet, other than a lack of spare time. First, I was waiting for John Ousterhout's first "official" distribution of tcl. Second, my previous attempt to add user-defined subroutines to perl was not entirely successful. Third, I'm not sure how to go about calling perl subroutines from tcl. In theory, though, it shouldn't be too hard for someone with a better working knowledge of the perl source than myself. I would be happy to help out on a project to make this happen. John ----------------------------------------------------------------------- John H. Hartman Graduate Student, UCB Sprite project jhh@sprite.berkeley.edu
brossard@sic.epfl.ch (Alain Brossard EPFL-SIC/SII) (04/06/91)
In article <BARNETT.91Apr5131626@grymoire.crd.ge.com>, barnett@grymoire.crd.ge.com (Bruce Barnett) writes: | In article <21782@shlump.nac.dec.com> evans@decvax.DEC.COM (Marc Evans) writes: | If so, have you found yourself thinking the same thoughts as I? My principal | >question though is (Larry) Are you fimiliar with Tcl and does it seem reasonable | >to merge the two packages in some form? | | How about merging perl, Tcl, and Xtk? | | Then we can write X Window programs in Perl! | And since Tcl can communicate with other programs that also use Tcl, we | can have pwm (Perl window manager)! | | (Half :-) No :-) here, that is exactly what I need and I think the next direction for Perl. After all, Larry most be getting bored with regular expressions and must be ready for a new challenge! Right now, I'm using devGuide to generate C code for the user interface (using xview) and the C code then calls perl scripts to deal with the file system. How much better if I could call a toolkit directly from Perl! -- Alain Brossard, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, SIC/SII, EL-Ecublens, CH-1015 Lausanne, Suisse brossard@sasun1.epfl.ch
thoth@reef.cis.ufl.edu (Robert Forsman) (04/09/91)
Around here I use Tk as a wrapper for messy commands like enscript (part of the TransScript package). Anything that has a lot of arguments that a clueless user can't figure out in 5 seconds is a target and gets turned into a button encrusted window. I often have to use awk and sed to do parsing, and I really wish I had the power of regexps and IO in tcl. I also use it to write empire toys, but that's another story. The idea of giving perl access to tcl interpreter capability is nifty, but I wonder if we can stop at just that. Although, once perl has X capability, what else is there? We also use plain tcl as a quick-and-dirty parser. -- "Rob, you're stupid, and that makes you dangerous." - chess opponent I deal with Reality as you _don't_ understand it. Hammor -= Supreme Commander of the Ice Pirates =-