Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: CPNC Programming Resources

Ron Ginger expressed some doubts about the suitability of Tcl for an EMC
GUI, mainly about its ability to support his foundation data structs: object
orientation, modules, and variable namespace. In fact, Tcl does support these.

1) Object Orientation - the widely-used [incr Tcl] will give you a C++ like
class system. See the new book "[incr Tcl] from the ground up" by Chad
Smith that describes this nice addition to the Tcl toolkit.

2) Modules - use the Tcl package mechanism for cleanly loading either binary
extensions or script libraries.

3) Globals/locals - use Tcl namespaces to organize your module procedures
and variables.

I've used perl for many years and still do. It's a great tool for many jobs.
But it seems hasty to switch to a perl horse in mid-stream in this case. I
don't see any compelling reason.

As Matt Shaver noted, there is a significant body of EMC GUI work already in
existence. The NIST TkEMC GUI that Ray Henry modified and had on display at
NAMES is very well done and would be an excellent base for CPNC extensions.

Phil Plumbo