Gee, I find Tcl useful even without Tk. Don't fall into the trap of
thinking that Python, Perl, and Tcl are in direct competiton. While
there is lot of overlap in the kinds of tasks they can be used for,
there are areas where each excels and others can't compete.
Ignoring Tk, Tcl has two features that Python and Perl can't compete
with:
- Tcl is *incredibly* easy to embed and extend. This after all is
Tcl's main goal in life. Neither Perl nor Python could be made to
embed this easily, since they're richer languages and demand a more
complex interface to their internals.
- you can invent new syntax in Tcl. While Python gives you a clean
consistent syntax everywhere, and Perl gives you a succinct but
confusing syntax everywhere, you can user Tcl's clean syntax most
places and invent new succinct syntax for things that need it.
Eg, you could invent a kind of procedure definition for compiled
"rules" of regexps, and then call these functions as you would
any other function. None of this requires changing Tcl itself.
(This is not an attack on Python, but rather a defense of Tcl. If
anyone wants to attack Python or Perl, I'll happily defend them as well.
I've used all three, and for different types of applications each
excels.)
-- Ty Sarna "As you know, Joel, children have always looked tsarna@endicor.com up to cowboys as role models. And vice versa."