[clug] Why isn't Java popular on the Linux Desktop?

[steve jenkin]

Sam Couter wrote on 12/7/09 3:44 PM:

>> One of the big distribution problems it faces in Debian, for example, is that
>> most packaged library releases change ABI between versions, so release 1.0 and
>> 1.1 are not compatible.
> 
> That's a problem with any language.

Sorry to diverge the topic, but not quite right.

Steve Landers in Perth created "StarKits" in Tcl around 2001. Gave
papers in 2002/3.
They are a single file laid out as a filesystem, think zip/tar/cpio,
containing the complete application - code, libraries, classes...

You develop your App in a standard directory tree/filesystem, or even
with part-starkit, part host filesystem. There are two commands, "wrap"
and "unwrap" that create or explode the starkit for you.

You ship your complete App as a single file. All the user needs is a
working Tcl interpreter.

Steve also created "starpacks" - these are executables (for any
supported Tcl platform) that contain the Tcl interpreter & a (>1?)
"starkit". The same relationship as Zip 'self-extracting archives' to
normal .zip files, but you can build versions for any supported platform.

Cute technology. I believe something not dissimilar is available in
Perl. Not sure about other languages. It's implemented by being able to
overload the Tcl system "open" function (or capturing all filesystem
functions).

Links:
<http://www.equi4.com/starkit/>
<http://wiki.tcl.tk/3661>
<http://wiki.tcl.tk/974>

And without intending anything (it's a short way to give a search link):
<http://lmgtfy.com/?q=starkits+tcl+steve+landers>


Hope this is interesting to some of you :-)

-- 
Steve Jenkin, Info Tech, Systems and Design Specialist.
0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915)
PO Box 48, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA

sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au http://members.tip.net.au/~sjenkin