Tcl Meetup, 2022-04-12
Possible topics:
* single file distributions "blessed" by the community (i.e. tclkits of some form) - stevel
** the goal is a downloads page with links for common platforms
*** make it easier for people to get the latest Tcl/Tk on common platforms
*** include alpha and beta releases to get more people testing we move towards 8.7/9.0 since they won't need to build Tcl/Tk themselves
** single file executable to make it easier to try / remove
*** this doesn't preclude installers and platform specific app bundles
*** perhaps have a standard option that gets the single file distro to install itself in a platform standard way (allowing you to run as a single file to try, and install for better performance or less platform friction)
** a lite version containing just Tcl/Tk and a batteries included version with common extensions
*** what extensions should be in a BI version?
*** SQLite, tablelist, tcllib, tklib, tdom, others - e.g. everything in Magicsplat and Androwish (need to avoid including stuff that isn't actually useful or actively used)
** what technology for the VFS? zip / xvfs / SQLite / whatever?
*** keen for [rkeene] to comment on [xvfs]
*** [rz] has done a lot with zipkits on Tcl 8.7
*** what about [drh]'s ideas on using SQLite
** code signing for both Tcl/Tk and apps deployed using it
*** [apn] mentioned Authenticode on Windows
*** [rz] mentioned the Euro meeting mentioned the need to attach app code to a tclkit and sign it
** need to consider [dkf]'s work on continuous integration which builds tclkits
** [JCW] has provided a pure Tcl metakit reader [https://wiki.tcl-lang.org/page/ReadKit+%2D+a+pure+Tcl+Metakit+viewer%2Fextractor%2Fconverter%|%ReadKit] which could be used to provide backwards compatibility with existing starkits that use Metakit
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'''[rz] - 2022-04-12 05:50:04'''
State of the art for tcl/tk8.7a5 for me:
* you can build zip based tclkits. Just compile with "--disable-shared". The resulting tclsh and wish are tclkits.
* To add your own stuff, put it in a directory and use a file "main.tcl" as starting point.
* Under windows use "zip -r -q <tclsh or wish> *"
* Under Unix use "zip ../t.zip * ; cd ..; cat t.zip >> <tclsh or wish> ; zip -A <tclsh or wish>"
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'''[arjen] - 2022-04-12 09:51:03'''
I would like to bring up a general topic: besides tclkits, what other development and deployment tools would be beneficial? (I am jealous of those IDEs you see all over the place, like Pycharm, even if I tend not to use them myself, at least not for coding). As the time is very unfavourable to me, I will not attend this meeting.
[stevel] tools such as TclProDebug, [Eskil], [Nagelfar] etc come to mind. Perhaps [Critcl]. Others? Perhaps these could be combined into a "developer" download?
[chw] the stuffs described in [LUCK] (i.e. the vanillawishes for various platforms) have some development tools integrated, e.g. parts of [Tcl Dev Kit], [ASED], [Visual Tcl], and [TkSQLite].
[SEH] I've been using [alited, a lite editor%|%alited] and it's pretty nice.
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Followups
* [stevel] to follow up on XVFS with Sean and Roy
** see [https://chiselapp.com/user/rkeene/repository/xvfs/wiki?name=XVFS%20Build%20Walkthrough %|% XVFS Build Walkthough] and [https://core.tcl-lang.org/tips/doc/trunk/tip/554.md %|% TIP 554] * use CloudTk for a Tcl playground accessible via the wiki for code snippets, similar to the [https://go.dev/play/ %|% Go Playground] [Jeff Smith]? [rkeene] mentioned his existing [https://rkeene.dev/js-repl/?arg=tcl %|% Tcl Playground] - this could be used to add interactive code to other websites e.g. the wiki tutorial
* [Brian Griffin]'s [mkapp script] which takes a BI tclkit and app code and makes an starpack containing the app and just those extensions used by the app.
* liaise with [chw] and [apn] on the extensions they use in their distros and come up with unified set
* [stevel] to contact [dkf] and find out the state / status of the tclkits used in the continuous integration
* for a future meeting, discuss repositories
** [rkeene] mentioned [https://chiselapp.com/user/rkeene/repository/teaparty/index %|% Tea Party]
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