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Programming Language

Tcl

Scripting Language

Tcl (Tool Command Language) is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language, designed by John Ousterhout in 1988 while working at the University of California, Berkeley, originally intended as an embeddable command language for interactive applications. Tcl is used for rapid prototyping, scripted applications, GUIs (through the widely used Tk toolkit), and testing, and its associated GUI toolkit Tk is commonly bundled with it as Tcl/Tk.

Tcl, short for Tool Command Language and pronounced tickle, is an open source programming language created in 1988 by John Ousterhout. It is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted and dynamic language. The design goal was to be very simple but still powerful, and its central idea is that everything is cast into the mold of a command, including programming constructs such as variable assignment and procedure definition. The language has a long track record: it is close to forty years old and still has many thousands of public repositories on GitHub. It has tooling support in common editors and syntax highlighters, and a recorded interview with its creator is available.

Facts
First Released
1988 1
Paradigm
Multi-paradigm: event-driven, functional, imperative, object-oriented 2
Significance
Its creator John Ousterhout received the ACM Software System Award in 1997 for Tcl/Tk 2
Classification
Typing Discipline
Dynamically Typed 1
FAQs

Is Tcl meant only for scripting or also for serious programming?

Designed as a scripting language but used for programs with hundreds of thousands of lines.

Tcl was originally designed as a scripting language rather than for serious programming. In practice it has been used successfully for programs with hundreds of thousands of lines.
Connections

Follows Typing Discipline

In Field

Source Tcl (programming language), Wikipedia

Invented

Source Programming Language Database (PLDB): Tcl - PLDB

Invented By

Source Wikidata: Tcl
Additional Source Wikipedia: John OusterhoutInfobox: known_for
Sources
1. Wikidata: Tcl
  • Wikidata Q5288, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • Wikidata Q5288 P571 (inception)
  • Wikidata Q5288 P7078 (typing discipline)
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2. Tcl (programming language), Wikipedia
  • Infobox: released
    1988
  • Infobox, Paradigm
    Multi-paradigm: event-driven, functional, imperative, object-oriented
  • History section
    Ousterhout was awarded the ACM Software System Award in 1997 for Tcl/Tk.
  • In Field: Programming Language Theory, Lead sentence
    Tcl (pronounced as an acronym, , like tickle, or as an initialism, , like T-C-L; originally Tool Command Language) is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language.
View the Source
Programming Language Database (PLDB): Tcl - PLDB
Programming Language Database (PLDB)
  • Page summary
    is an open source programming language created in 1988 by John Ousterhout
  • In Group: System and Application Automation Languages, Page text
    Tcl casts everything into the mold of a command
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Wikipedia: John Ousterhout
Wikimedia FoundationInvented By: John Ousterhout, Infobox: known_for
Quote, Invented By: John Ousterhout, Infobox: known_for
Tcl, Tk Magic Raft (algorithm)
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