HolonT is a new Holonforth system that creates Tcl applications.
HolonTForth uses Tcl as its native language. With HolonT you have the
Tcl universum available in Forth.
Why Tcl? Tcl offers everything I could possibly want. Strings, lists,
regular expressions, fine graphic tool kits (Tk and others), web
tools, a great database (Metakit), OO in many flavors, and more. Tcl
is available on all platforms, and Tcl applications run everywhere.
Moreover there is this brilliant Tclkit, which contains the whole Tcl
system in one executable file. Tclkit embodies a virtual file system
and in it the commonly used Tcl packages, including Tk and Metakit. It
is included with the HolonT packages.
So why don't I just use Tcl? I did. Four years ago I switched to Tcl
because it offers the features that I couldn't find in Forth. I turned
to Tcl in order to develop the new Holon (which I presented here last
year), and have now used the new Holon to build HolonT.
So why Forth again? Tcl has, for me, one fundamental problem, its
prefix notation. Prefix notation creates an additional layer of
complexity that I simply can't adapt to. I still have problems with
the rules of argument substitutions, with braces and brackets and
taking care that the command arguments really form correct lists. Tcl
is described by 12 rules. If you convert Tcl to postfix notation as in
HolonTForth, 6 of the rules simply vanish. Braces, brackets,
substitutions ond argument lists evaporate. Back to the roots of
simplicity!
HolonT is available as a free open source system at
http://holonforth.com/new/tcl/holont.html,
prepared for Windows, Linux
and OSX.
Note: This is a first version, still experimental. It provides the
compiler mechanism and Forth words for the commonly used parts of the
Tcl kernel as well as a couple of Tk words that I have used so far in
the sample chess and private programs. Also note: this system is not
competing in the speed race.
|
