[Cmake] Re: [Dart] cDart anybody?

[Amitha Perera]

On Wed 11 Sep 2002, Andy Cedilnik wrote:
[...]
> 3. Simple installation (no tcl and you already need CMake)

I was under the impression that people do use Dart without CMake. I
think this is a good thing. Dart has the potential to be useful in a
variety of contexts, ones where CMake does not necessarily play a
role.

My preference would be to write the Dart client in something like
python:
- Python exists for almost every platform.
- It has powerful and easy regular expressions.
- It is scripted, which means easy installation and update. (No
  compilation required).
- It has portable build in commands for most system like commands,
  including I/O redirection, system calls, file permissions, etc.
- It has built in support (via standard modules) for networking.
- It handles strings and filenames in a sane way. (Unlike tcl.)

I think a C++ solution for this doesn't buy too much. However, a
compiled solution has the advantage of: pre-compiled binaries that you
just put somewhere. Counter: I think python code can be "exported"
into a self-contained executable.

I also think a re-write of Dart in something other than Tcl is a great
idea. We could: (1) choose a sane language, (2) incorporate all
the lessons learned from this iteration, (3) design a clean and
extensible interface between client and server (perhaps with
"protocol" versions).

Amitha.