jafadmin wrote:WIckedWitch wrote:My reason for not using something that ships with the OS is that scripts written in an OS-specific language are not portable across platforms. By using Tcl, I have to be familiar with just one scripting shell across all platforms that I use: Windows, MacOS, Linux and various *NiXes.
That's great when you are only concerned about your own needs. It does absolutely nothing for others though.
If you peruse this forum you will find hundreds of examples of Linux users helping others with scripts. That is only possible because all have a common shell.
Don't hold your breath waiting for
everyone to install tcl just so they can run
your scripts.
The cool thing about Computer Science is you learn to program in all languages.
That's fine. I did say earlier on that recommending Tcl was a little provocative. Basically It's down to my own dilapidations. I've always found sh and bash scripts impossible to read, so I never use them except in tiny trivial cases.
Whenever I set up a new OS on a machine, the first three things I install are gcc, Tcl/Tk and Python. Thereafter, I never go near sh and bash unless I need to execute the very occasional sh or bash command from within a Tcl script.
I agree with you about using lots of programming languages but there are just some that I avoid like the plague because I find them disagreeable to use. Over the years I have used: Algol60, Algol68, Ada, BASIC, BCPL, C, C++, CCS, COBOL, CPN, CSP, Eiffel, Erlang, Estelle, FORTH, FORTRAN, Java, Javascript, LISP, LOTOS, Lua, Matlab, ML, OCAML, Octave, Pascal, Perl, Prolog, Python, R, Ruby, SCADE, Smalltalk, Tcl, Visual Basic, Z, various shell scripting languages, assembler, and maybe one or two others that escape me. (Not all of these are PLs - some are formal description languages.)
After all that lot, one develops favourites and things one won't touch with a barge pole. I viscerally loathe: C++, Estelle, Java, Javascript. LISP, Perl, Visual Basic and the sh and bash shell languages. Nowadays, at 65, I'm a lot slower at learning things, so I stick with the set of languages that I feel comfortable with - and generally, the more formally defined, the better.
My language prejudices are undoubtedly strongly coloured by having worked for 25 years in safety-, security- and mission-critical systems.
Sorry if I came on a bit strong as regards Tcl. I didn't mean to sound dismissive. It's just me becoming a grumpy old woman