S39.1 install with Tk boot up slow and buggy

[Robert Herman]

I recently installed S39.1 with Tk on my Windows 11 box. I have had ActiveState's tcl v. 8.6 on my computer. I am on a relatively powerful and current laptop, but the gui takes ~5 or more seconds to populate the interface window.

I've also had it crash when trying to run the included calculator.shen program based on the YouTube video that also shows how to modify the bottom row buttons.

It's been many years (2018-ish) since I have played with SP, now S39.1, and I don't have a comparison.

I installed SBCL, built the exe's, changed paths in the two files per the README.txt, and the non-tk shen-sbcl.exe works as expected as a REPL.

Any tips on what may be going on here? Thanks!

[Bruno Deferrari]

Hi Robert, this is probably not the issue, but asking just in case:

Is your laptop using an ARM-based CPU by any chance? If so, it might be running the x86 Shen binaries under emulation, which would explain why it is so slow.

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BD

[dr.mt...@gmail.com]

I have to reinstall this on my desktop following a shop repair.

I'll get back.

Mark

[dr.mt...@gmail.com]

Its 5 seconds to startup for my 9 year old laptop which 

isn't bad.  Desktop might be faster.  I haven't tried the

calculator program yet.

M.

[dr.mt...@gmail.com]

The calculator works fine as far as I can see.  

I just had to change some path names.

M.

[dr.mt...@gmail.com]

I've just got it on my desktop; had to change some pathnames again.

Also the default Windows editor lied about the contents of a file and

so I sacked it and replaced it by another.  Shen/tk takes 5 seconds to boot 

up with the IDE.

But there is one thing about Shen/tk that is important and I had forgotten

it.  You have to kill Shen/tk cleanly.  There is an option Exit in the IDE for

doing that.  Click on it and you will get

This will cleanly disconnect TCL/tk.  Are you sure you want to do this?

OK     Cancel

Then you click OK.  Then you can kill the windows.  If you do not you

will end up with a zombie TCL/tk process which will eat up your interaction

in your next session.   You will enter a world of confusion and the zombie

has to be killed through the Windows task manager.  

[Robert Herman]

Bruno, sorry for the late reply, but I do have an AMD CPU, however, I did build Shen using my installed SBC. Wouldn't it create the proper binary for Shen?

Thanks.

Rob

[Robert Herman]

Thank you. Yes, I do use the Exit option in the IDE.

Perhaps Bruno is right about it running on my AMD-based CPU? I did build Shen using my installed SBCL version that was up to date.

Rob

[Robert Herman]

I'll try again, since it has been a few weeks. Thanks.

Rob

[Bruno Deferrari]

Hi Robert, AMD is fine (it is an x86-64 CPU same as Intel), and that means that no emulation mode is being used to run the Shen binaries. So what I mentioned is not an issue in your case.

SBCL on Windows doesn't support ARM64 CPUs, so if you had been using an ARM64 CPU, you would still be using emulation even if you had built Shen yourself https://sbcl.org/platform-table.html

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/qilang/c7ab02e1-7cc4-4cf2-96c2-d107161a6c2fn%40googlegroups.com.

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BD

[Robert Herman]

Bruno, Temporary dyslexia with AMD and ARM ;) yes, of course, thank you.

[Robert Herman]

Running "loadme.shen" from the Tk IDE results in the following clean output:

```
(0-) false
calc.evaluate-display
(fn calc.evaluate-display)

run time: 0.015625 secs
loaded
[tk.general#type tk.buttons#type tk.labels#type tk.frames#type tk.windows#type tk.entries#type tk.texts#type tk.packing#type tk.grids#type tk.canvases#type tk.messageboxes#type tk.fonts#type tk.drawing#type tk.winfos#type]
true
(fn calc.show) : (label --> (string --> string))
calc.infix : symbol
(fn calc.calculator) : (--> symbol)
(fn calc.call-calculator) : (--> symbol)

run time: 0.046875 secs

typechecked in 10657 inferences
loaded
[]

run time: 0.0625 secs


(0+)
```

But, when I then try to load calculator.shen a Tk window pops up with this error:

"The value cons is not of type NUMBER"

A gui of the calculator layout with buttons does not appear. Should I be sequencing this different on loading? I first loaded loadme.shen first through the Tk IDE, and then calculator.shen ghrough the IDE.

[dr.mt...@gmail.com]

After loading; you need to enter  (fn calc.calculator) or  (calc.calculator) to 

reconfigure the F1 key to call the calculator; you'll see the text

change from F1 to Calculator.  Then click on this button.

M.

[Robert Herman]

That did the trick, thank you, Mark!

[dr.mt...@gmail.com]

It might be an idea to install the IDE under Shen/Scheme.  I just need

the command for invoking a thread in Scheme.  In the install.lsp file

for Shen/SBCL we have

#+SBCL
(DEFUN thread (Lazy) (SB-THREAD:MAKE-THREAD Lazy))

#+SBCL
(DEFUN terminate (Thread) (trap-error (SB-THREAD:TERMINATE-THREAD Thread) (LAMBDA (E) Thread)))

#+SBCL
(update-lambda-table 'thread 1)

#+SBCL
(update-lambda-table 'terminate 1)

AFAIK the essential command for TCL/tk + IDE is the one in red.   

Mark 

[Bruno Deferrari]

`thread` has the same name in Shen/Scheme, what it doesn't provide is `terminate` because there is no equivalent in Chez.

(0-) (thread (freeze (pr "hello")))
#<thread 1>
hello

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BD

[dr.mt...@gmail.com]

I get 

Shen, www.shenlanguage.org, copyright (C) 2010-2023, Mark Tarver
version: S38.3, language: Scheme, platform: chez-scheme 10.0.0
port 0.36, ported by Bruno Deferrari


(0-) (thread (freeze (print 6)))
fn: thread is undefined

M.

[Bruno Deferrari]

You need version 0.39: https://github.com/tizoc/shen-scheme/releases/tag/v0.39

Sorry I think I haven't announced a release in this group in a while, only through GitHub's automatic notifications.

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/qilang/927f1d17-880e-4188-bd38-52f1eb4f4d82n%40googlegroups.com.

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BD