4 ms·

Tcl for Web Nerds

23 points by omilu 10y ago

fuball63 10y ago
I have been really fascinated with TCL lately, and I've been working it into projects as a replacement for shell scripts for writing config files or automating server setup. I still feel like I should be using python though, and that I only use TCL as a "novelty". But how can you not like a language that can be described in 12 rules? http://wiki.tcl.tk/10259 http://wiki.tcl.tk/10259
- Paul_S 10y ago
  I don't know anyone who chooses freely to work with Tcl. It's a curiosity like brainfuck. Fun to look at and marvel at its simplicity but an absolute horror to work in.
  - ArkyBeagle 10y ago
    Tcl forces an event driven approach that seems to be relatively unfamiliar.
  - andrewshadura 10y ago
    That's not true.
  - blacksqr 10y ago
    Nevertheless, such people exist.
- ArkyBeagle 10y ago
  As someone who has already paid the cost for learning Tcl[1], I find trying to migrate to Python equally daunting. [1] a man month of "homework", about a college semester's worth. At least the way I learned Tcl was through the use of a paper copy of the Brent Welch book. There aren't that many generic patterns you have to learn before it starts being productive, though.
mrmondo 10y ago
wow I haven't heard of TCL for years (excluding TCL/TK of course), I used to run a large patient management system across a hospital system that was built on TCL and ran on top of Solaris (5 from memory). While the software itself was antiquated for the time (2011~) it was pretty solid and fast despite running on relatively low spec hardware for the number of clients. I remember the 'upgrade' path was a Windows app that other than providing a more user friendly interface what was essentially providing the same functionality with the addition of a mouse curser required a hardware of a factor of something like at least 40 times the performance to run at a similar scale.
roryrjb 10y ago
Recalls an old blog post by antirez: http://antirez.com/articoli/tclmisunderstood.html http://antirez.com/articoli/tclmisunderstood.html
- fuball63 10y ago
  Thanks for this, I always have time articulating what I like about TCL.

23 points by omilu 10y ago

I have been really fascinated with TCL lately, and I've been working it into projects as a replacement for shell scripts for writing config files or automating server setup. I still feel like I should be using python though, and that I only use TCL as a "novelty". But how can you not like a language that can be described in 12 rules? http://wiki.tcl.tk/10259 http://wiki.tcl.tk/10259

Paul_S 10y ago
I don't know anyone who chooses freely to work with Tcl. It's a curiosity like brainfuck. Fun to look at and marvel at its simplicity but an absolute horror to work in.
- ArkyBeagle 10y ago
  Tcl forces an event driven approach that seems to be relatively unfamiliar.
- andrewshadura 10y ago
  That's not true.
- blacksqr 10y ago
  Nevertheless, such people exist.
ArkyBeagle 10y ago
As someone who has already paid the cost for learning Tcl[1], I find trying to migrate to Python equally daunting. [1] a man month of "homework", about a college semester's worth. At least the way I learned Tcl was through the use of a paper copy of the Brent Welch book. There aren't that many generic patterns you have to learn before it starts being productive, though.

mrmondo 10y ago

wow I haven't heard of TCL for years (excluding TCL/TK of course), I used to run a large patient management system across a hospital system that was built on TCL and ran on top of Solaris (5 from memory). While the software itself was antiquated for the time (2011~) it was pretty solid and fast despite running on relatively low spec hardware for the number of clients. I remember the 'upgrade' path was a Windows app that other than providing a more user friendly interface what was essentially providing the same functionality with the addition of a mouse curser required a hardware of a factor of something like at least 40 times the performance to run at a similar scale.

roryrjb 10y ago

Recalls an old blog post by antirez: http://antirez.com/articoli/tclmisunderstood.html http://antirez.com/articoli/tclmisunderstood.html

fuball63 10y ago
Thanks for this, I always have time articulating what I like about TCL.