Tcl-URL! Weekly Tcl News and Links (April 21)

QOTW:  "For those questioning Tcl, do some research. It is way beyond
the days when RMS whined about it. It is the best language for this
kind of environment, all things considered" - Jeff Hobbes (referring
to use of Tcl in the new DarwinPorts project: http://snews.com/story.php?news_id=3289)

"mswindows is not posix." -- David Gravereaux 



POTW:  Rub the lamp for "Three Wishes". Utility packages based on Wish by
David McClamrock
    http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&frame=left&th=b2d1e834d56da42b

POST2: Finally a ready to run freewrap for Windows _including_ the BLT
extension 
    http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&frame=left&th=314d6c9171c75eaa


    Threads on comp.lang.tcl
    Sourcing a Tcl script as if it were started by the shell:
        http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=79189453.0304190637.65152ce7%40posting.google.com
    
    Virtualize a listbox and take your choice of virtual display or virtual 
    load behavior.
        http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=ZHWna.2436%24oo6.30841%40news.uswest.net
    
    David Gravereaux contributes toward to the goal of procomp build
    convenience with 8.4
        http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=ZHWna.2436%24oo6.30841%40news.uswest.net
    
    Comparing strings ain't what it used to be with 8.4 (string compare is 
    not the fast choice)
        http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=3EA2078E.6060200%40ActiveState.com
    
    Tcl can trace variables, command definitions, and command execution:
    fine points on variable unset:
        http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=3EA06130.DC4FEAF1%40raytheon.com
    
    Getting ODBC working from Linux - a matter of building the right code:
        http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=m3of3410u8.fsf%40cicero.benny.turtle-trading.net
    
    Wiki activity:
       A little Ferris Wheel by Richard Suchenworth - yet more graphical fun
       from Richard's weekend.
        http://mini.net/tcl/8763
       Followed by APL play station:
        http://mini.net/tcl/1189
    
       A new page to find and share experiences learning XOTcl (OO extension)
        http://mini.net/tcl/8783
    
       A fresh proposal for manipulating large chunks of number data in Tcl:
        http://mini.net/tcl/8774
    
      Handy code for drawing a graph as a tree structured in BWidget:
       http://mini.net/tcl/8787
    Thanks also to Arjen Markus for his Wiki report:
      As someone on the Tcl chatroom said: it is easter time. Okay, here are
      some of those lovely eggs found in the Wiki's garden (most of them
      fairly serious):
      
      Some math stuff:
      
      - Generating high-quality random numbers with the Mersenne Twister,
        <http://wiki.tcl.tk/8761>>
      
      - A three-dimensional variation on the Hilbert curve, 
        <http://wiki.tcl.tk/8723>>
      
      - Advice about pi, <http://wiki.tcl.tk/8401>>
      
      Some architectural/design stuff:
      - Indenting Tcl as if it was Python, <http://wiki.tcl.tk/3499>>
      
      - Think about applications - very different styles may be used,
        <http://wiki.tcl.tk/297>>
      
      - The foundations of computing, <http://wiki.tcl.tk/8731>>
      
      Some visual/visible stuff:
      - Digging into aliases, <http://wiki.tcl.tk/8766>>
      
      - Defining pull-down menus the easiest way, <http://wiki.tcl.tk/8765>>
      
      - Demonstrating what joy a starkit gives, <http://wiki.tcl.tk/8758>


Everything you want is probably one or two clicks away in these pages:

    The "Welcome to comp.lang.tcl" message by Andreas Kupries
        http://www.purl.org/net/tcl-welcome

    The Tcl Developer Site is Tcl's "home base".
        http://www.tcl.tk

    Larry Virden maintains a comp.lang.tcl FAQ launcher
        http://www.purl.org/NET/Tcl-FAQ/

    The Tcl Developer Xchange is a highly organized resource center
    of documents and software with provisions for individuals to
    maintain references to their own software:
        http://www.tcl.tk/resource/
    The TDX sponsor, ActiveState, also keeps info to convince your
    boss Tcl is a good thing
        http://www.tcl.tk/scripting/

    The Tcl'ers Wiki is a huge, dynamic, collaboratively edited repository
    of documentation, examples, tutorials and pontifications on all things Tcl.
        http://wiki.tcl.tk/0
    For the ideal overview of the topics about Tcl most likely to
    interest a newcomer, see "Arts and Crafts ..."
        http://wiki.tcl.tk/969

    ActiveState maintains binaries distribution and development tools
        http://www.activestate.com/Tcl
    along with a Cookbook of Tcl recipes
        http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Tcl

    Cameron Laird tracks several Tcl/Tk references of interest
        http://phaseit.net/claird/comp.lang.tcl/

    Cetus Links maintains a Tcl/Tk page with verified links
        http://www.cetus-links.org/oo_tcl_tk.html

    Google Groups archives comp.lang.tcl.announce posts
        http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tcl_announce/   

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