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@@ -0,0 +1,235 @@ +The Jim Interpreter + +A small-footprint implementation of the Tcl programming language. + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +WHAT IS JIM? +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Jim is a small footprint implementation of the Tcl programming language +written from scratch. Currently Jim Tcl is very feature complete with +an extensive test suite (see the tests directory). +There are some Tcl commands and features which are not implemented +(and likely never will be), including traces and Tk. However +Jim Tcl offers a number of both Tcl8.5 and Tcl8.6 features ({*}, dict, lassign, +tailcall and optional UTF-8 support) and some unique features. +These unique features include [lambda] with garbage collection, a general GC/references +system, arrays as syntax sugar for [dict]tionaries, object-based I/O and more. + +Other common features of the Tcl programming language are present, like +the "everything is a string" behaviour, implemented internally as +dual ported objects to ensure that the execution time does not reflect +the semantic of the language :) + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +WHEN JIM CAN BE USEFUL? +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +1) If you are writing an application, and want to make it scriptable, with +Jim you have a way to do it that does not require to link your application +with a big system. You can include the Jim source directly in your project +and use the Jim API to write the glue code that makes your application +scriptable in Jim, with the following advantages: + +- Jim is not the next "little language", but it's a Tcl implementation. + You can reuse your knowledge if you already Tcl skills, or enjoy + the availability of documentation, books, web resources, ... + (for example check my online Tcl book at http://www.invece.org/tclwise) + +- Jim is simple, 14k lines of core code. If you want to adapt it you can hack + the source code to meet the needs of your application. It makes you + able to have scripting for default, and avoid external dependences. + + Having scripting support *inside*, and in a way that a given version + of your program always gets shipped a given version of Jim, you can + write part of your application in Jim itself. Like it happens for + Emacs/Elisp, or Gimp/Scheme, both this applications have the interpreter + inside. + +- Jim is Tcl, and Tcl looks like a configuration file if you want. So + if you use Jim you have also a flexible syntax for your config file. + This is a valid Tcl script: + + set MyFeature on + ifssl { + set SslPort 45000 + use compression + } + + It looks like a configuration file, but if you implement the [ifssl] + and [use] commands, it's a valid Tcl script. + +- Tcl scales with the user. Not all know it, but Tcl is so powerful that + you can reprogram the language in itself. Jim support this features + of the Tcl programming language. You can write new control structures, + use the flexible data types it offers (Lists are a central data structure, + with Dictionaries that are also lists). Still Tcl is simpler for the + casual programmer, especially if compared to other languages offering + small footprint implementations (like Scheme and FORTH). + +- Because of the Tcl semantic (pass by value, everything is a command + since there are no reserved words), there is a nice API to glue + your application with Jim. See under the Jim Tcl manual for more detail. + +- Jim is supported. If you need commercial software, contact the original author + at 'antirez@gmail.com' or the current maintainer at 'steveb@workware.net.au'. + +2) The other "field" where Jim can be useful is obviously embedded systems. + +3) We are working to make Jim as feature-complete as possible, thanks to + dynamically loaded extensions it may stay as little as it is today + but able to do interesting things for you. So it's not excluded that + in the future Jim will be an option as general purpose language. + But don't mind, for this there is already the mainstream Tcl + implementation ;). + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +HOW BIG IS IT? +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Jim with the default extensions configured and compiled with -Os is about 130k. +Without any extensions, it is about 85k. + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +HOW FAST IS IT? +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Jim is in most code faster than Tcl7.6p2 (latest 7.x version), +and slower than Tcl 8.4.x. You can expect pretty decent performance +for such a little interpreter. + +If you want a more precise measure, there is 'bench.tcl' inside this +distribution that will run both under Jim and Tcl, so just execute +it with both the interpreters and see what you get :) + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +HOW TO COMPILE +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Jim was tested under Linux, FreeBSD, MacosX, eCos, QNX, Windows XP (mingw, MVC). + +To compile jim itself try: + + ./configure + make + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +EXTENSIONS +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Many optional extensions are included. Some are C extensions and others are pure Tcl. +Form more information, try: + + ./configure --help + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +HOW TO EMBED JIM INTO APPLICATIONS +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +See the "examples.api" directory + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +HOW TO WRITE EXTENSIONS FOR JIM +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +See the extensions shipped with Jim, jim-readline.c, jim-clock.c, glob.tcl and oo.tcl + +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +COPYRIGHT and LICENSE +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Unless explicitly stated, all files within Jim repository are released +under following license: + +/* Jim - A small embeddable Tcl interpreter + * + * Copyright 2005 Salvatore Sanfilippo <antirez@invece.org> + * Copyright 2005 Clemens Hintze <c.hintze@gmx.net> + * Copyright 2005 patthoyts - Pat Thoyts <patthoyts@users.sf.net> + * Copyright 2008 oharboe - Øyvind Harboe - oyvind.harboe@zylin.com + * Copyright 2008 Andrew Lunn <andrew@lunn.ch> + * Copyright 2008 Duane Ellis <openocd@duaneellis.com> + * Copyright 2008 Uwe Klein <uklein@klein-messgeraete.de> + * Copyright 2008 Steve Bennett <steveb@workware.net.au> + * Copyright 2009 Nico Coesel <ncoesel@dealogic.nl> + * Copyright 2009 Zachary T Welch zw@superlucidity.net + * Copyright 2009 David Brownell + * + * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without + * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions + * are met: + * + * 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright + * notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer. + * 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above + * copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following + * disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials + * provided with the distribution. + * + * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE JIM TCL PROJECT ``AS IS'' AND ANY + * EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, + * THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A + * PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE + * JIM TCL PROJECT OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, + * INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES + * (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS + * OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) + * HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, + * STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) + * ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF + * ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. + * + * The views and conclusions contained in the software and documentation + * are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing + * official policies, either expressed or implied, of the Jim Tcl Project. + */ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- +HISTORY +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +"first Jim goal: to vent my need to hack on Tcl." + +And actually this is exactly why I started Jim, in the first days +of Jenuary 2005. After a month of hacking Jim was able to run +simple scripts, now, after two months it started to be clear to +me that it was not just the next toy to throw away but something +that may evolve into a real interpreter. In the same time +Pat Thoyts and Clemens Hintze started to contribute code, so that +the development of new core commands was faster, and also more +people hacking on the same code had as result fixes in the API, +C macros, and so on. + +Currently we are at the point that the core interpreter is almost finished +and it is entering the Beta stage. There is to add some other core command, +to do a code review to ensure quality of all the parts and to write +documentation. + +We already started to work on extensions like OOP, event loop, +I/O, networking, regexp. Some extensions are already ready for +prime time, like the Sqlite extension and the ANSI I/O. + +------------------------------------------------------------------------------ +Thanks to... +------------------------------------------------------------------------------ + +- First of all, thanks to every guy that are listed in the AUTHORS file, + that directly helped with code and ideas. Also check the ChangeLog + file for additional credits about patches or bug reports. +- Elisa Manara that helped me to select this ill conceived name for + an interpreter. +- Many people on the Tclers Chat that helped me to explore issues + about the use and the implementation of the Tcl programming language. +- David Welton for the tech info sharing and our chats about + programming languages design and the ability of software to "scale down". +- Martin S. Weber for the great help with Solaris issues, debugging of + problems with [load] on this arch, 64bit tests. +- The authors of "valgrind", for this wonderful tool, that helped me a + lot to fix bugs in minutes instead of hours. + + +---- +Enjoy! +Salvatore Sanfilippo +10 Mar 2005 + + |