path: root/README

README:  Tcl
    This is the Tcl 8.5a4 source distribution.
    Tcl/Tk is also available through NetCVS:
	http://tcl.sourceforge.net/
    You can get any source release of Tcl from the file distributions
    link at the above URL.

RCS: @(#) $Id: README,v 1.56 2005/06/07 14:03:48 dkf Exp $

Contents
--------
    1. Introduction
    2. Documentation
    3. Compiling and installing Tcl
    4. Development tools
    5. Tcl newsgroup
    6. Tcl contributed archive
    7. Tcl Resource Center
    8. Mailing lists
    9. Support and Training
    10. Thank You

1. Introduction
---------------
Tcl provides a powerful platform for creating integration applications that
tie together diverse applications, protocols, devices, and frameworks.
When paired with the Tk toolkit, Tcl provides the fastest and most powerful
way to create GUI applications that run on PCs, Unix, and Mac OS X.
Tcl can also be used for a variety of web-related tasks and for creating
powerful command languages for applications.

Tcl is maintained, enhanced, and distributed freely by the Tcl community.
The home for Tcl/Tk sources and bug/patch database is on SourceForge:

	http://tcl.sourceforge.net/

with the Tcl Developer Xchange hosted at:

	http://www.tcl.tk/

Tcl is a freely available open source package.  You can do virtually
anything you like with it, such as modifying it, redistributing it,
and selling it either in whole or in part.  See the file
"license.terms" for complete information.

2. Documentation
----------------

Extensive documentation is available at our website.
The home page for this release, including new features, is
	http://www.tcl.tk/software/tcltk/8.5.html

Detailed release notes can be found at the file distributions page
by clicking on the relevant version.
	http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=10894

Information about Tcl itself can be found at
	http://www.tcl.tk/scripting/

There have been many Tcl books on the market.  Most are listed at
	http://www.tcl.tk/resource/doc/books/

2a. Unix Documentation
----------------------

The "doc" subdirectory in this release contains a complete set of
reference manual entries for Tcl.  Files with extension ".1" are for
programs (for example, tclsh.1); files with extension ".3" are for C
library procedures; and files with extension ".n" describe Tcl
commands.  The file "doc/Tcl.n" gives a quick summary of the Tcl
language syntax.  To print any of the man pages on Unix, cd to the
"doc" directory and invoke your favorite variant of troff using the
normal -man macros, for example

		ditroff -man Tcl.n

to print Tcl.n.  If Tcl has been installed correctly and your "man" program
supports it, you should be able to access the Tcl manual entries using the
normal "man" mechanisms, such as

		man Tcl

2b. Windows Documentation
-------------------------

The "doc" subdirectory in this release contains a complete set of Windows
help files for Tcl.  Once you install this Tcl release, a shortcut to the
Windows help Tcl documentation will appear in the "Start" menu:

	Start | Programs | Tcl | Tcl Help

3. Compiling and installing Tcl
-------------------------------

There are brief notes in the unix/README, win/README, and macosx/README about
compiling on these different platforms.  There is additional information
about building Tcl from sources at

	http://www.tcl.tk/doc/howto/compile.html

4. TclPro Development tools
---------------------------

A high quality set of commercial quality development tools is available to
accelerate your Tcl application development.  The TclPro product provides a
debugger, static code checker, packaging utility, and bytecode compiler.
TclPro was open-sourced when Scriptics/Ajuba was acquired by Interwoven.
Visit its home at SourceForge for more information and source/binaries:

	http://tclpro.sourceforge.net/

ActiveState has picked up support for commercial Tcl development tools.
More information can be found at

	http://www.ActiveState.com/Tcl

5. Tcl newsgroup
----------------

There is a USENET news group, "comp.lang.tcl", intended for the exchange of
information about Tcl, Tk, and related applications.  The newsgroup is a
great place to ask general information questions.  There is also
a USENET news group, "comp.lang.tcl.announce", intended to announce new
releases of software, training, and more.  For bug reports, please
see the "Support and bug fixes" section below.

6. Tcl contributed archive
--------------------------

Many people have created exciting packages and applications based on Tcl
and/or Tk and made them freely available to the Tcl community.  An archive
of these contributions is kept on the machine ftp://archives.tcl.tk/pub/tcl
(aka ftp://ftp.procplace.com/pub/tcl).  You can access the archive using
anonymous FTP.  The archive also contains several FAQ ("frequently asked
questions") documents that provide solutions to problems that are commonly
encountered by Tcl newcomers.

7. Tcl Resource Center
----------------------

Visit http://www.tcl.tk/resource/ to see an annotated index of
many Tcl resources available on the World Wide Web.  This includes
papers, books, and FAQs, as well as development tools, extensions,
applications, binary releases, and patches.  You can also recommend
additional URLs for the resource center using the forms labeled "Add a
Resource".

8. Mailing lists
----------------

Several mailing lists are hosted at SourceForge to discuss development or
use issues (like Macintosh and Windows topics).  For more information and
to subscribe, visit:

	http://sourceforge.net/projects/tcl/

and go to the Mailing Lists page.

9. Support and Training
------------------------

We are very interested in receiving bug reports, patches, and suggestions
for improvements.  We prefer that you send this information to us via the
bug form at SourceForge, rather than emailing us directly.  The bug
database is at:

	http://tcl.sourceforge.net/

The bug form was designed to give uniform structure to bug reports as
well as to solicit enough information to minimize followup questions.

We will log and follow-up on each bug, although we cannot promise a
specific turn-around time.  Enhancements, reported via the Feature
Requests form at the same web site, may take longer and may not happen
at all unless there is widespread support for them (we're trying to
slow the rate at which Tcl/Tk turns into a kitchen sink).  It's very
difficult to make incompatible changes to Tcl/Tk at this point, due to
the size of the installed base.

The Tcl community is too large for us to provide much individual support
for users.  If you need help we suggest that you post questions to
comp.lang.tcl.  We read the newsgroup and will attempt to answer esoteric
questions for which no one else is likely to know the answer.  In addition,
see the following Web site for links to other organizations that offer
Tcl/Tk training:

	http://www.tcl.tk/resource/community/commercial/training

10. Thank You
-------------

We'd like to express our thanks to the Tcl community for all the
helpful suggestions, bug reports, and patches we have received.
Tcl/Tk has improved vastly and will continue to do so with your help.