Tcl is a mature language and it is easy to use. It covers a wide range of domains, ranging from task automation to fully-featured GUI applications. Its syntax is a bit different from other languages, but once mastered, it becomes clear and logical. The wide set of available extensions along with the ability to define your own commands means there are virtually no limits in terms of extending the capabilities it offers. This fact combined with its support for various platforms makes Tcl a truly swiss-army-knife equivalent among programming languages. Often considered as 'just' another scripting language, trifled and underestimated, Tcl may really surprise you with its abilities and potential.
In this chapter, we have learned:
- The origins, concepts, and possibilities provided by the Tcl language
- Which platforms it supports, and how to get and install the Tcl interpreter
- About some of the tools available to ease the development of Tcl code
- The syntax and fundamental commands of the language
Having read this chapter, you are now ready to continue to the next one, which will teach you some more advanced Tcl features. Not only will you learn about the many technical details of the interpreter itself, but you will also become familiar with file operations, the packaging system, event loops, and threads.