Tk
Cross-platform GUI toolkit originally paired with Tcl, with bindings for many languages.
Liked for quickly building simple cross-platform GUI utilities and internal tools1234, usable from Python, Perl, Scheme and other languages beyond Tcl.567 Caveats are scattered: one commenter calls it basic8, another found GTK bindings much nicer9, and one says old Tcl/Tk code became hard to read.10
Why people recommend it
Quick simple tools · 3
Commenters reach for it to spin up small GUI utilities and internal tools fast.
“Still find Tcl/Tk surprisingly effective for simple cross-platform GUI utilities.”
“I love using it for quick little Perl/Tk GUI applications”
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“Tcl/Tk rule and are insanely useful.”
Cross-platform · 3
The same programs run on Linux, BSD, macOS and Windows.
“Tk is a very nice (though basic) GUI kit, and my programs work on Linux, BSD, MacOS, and Windows.”
“Still find Tcl/Tk surprisingly effective for simple cross-platform GUI utilities.”
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“Tcl/Tk rule and are insanely useful.”
Language bindings · 3
Usable without Tcl via Tkinter, Perl/Tk, Scheme and others.
“Tk is a very nice (though basic) GUI kit, and my programs work on Linux, BSD, MacOS, and Windows.”
“Tcl/Tk rule and are insanely useful.”
Show 1 more
“I love using it for quick little Perl/Tk GUI applications”
Log widget performance · 1
One user's log control handled large output better than the Windows Forms tool it replaced.
“the control I used for logs was much better than the c# forms stuff it replaced”
Accessibility progress · 1
A visually impaired user welcomed Tk's improving accessibility support.
“I love using it for quick little Perl/Tk GUI applications”
Caveats and dissent
Basic widgets · 1
Described as a nice but basic GUI kit.
“Tk is a very nice (though basic) GUI kit, and my programs work on Linux, BSD, MacOS, and Windows.”
Disliked by some · 1
A Ruby developer ended up disliking Tk and preferred GTK bindings.
Code readability · 1
One user found their old Tcl/Tk code hard to read later.
“the control I used for logs was much better than the c# forms stuff it replaced”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- Tcl/Tk 9.1 3 mentions
- Develop Cross-Platform CLI and GUI Tools with Tcl/Tk 3 mentions
Data: tk.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 6
“the control I used for logs was much better than the c# forms stuff it replaced”
“I ended up really disliking tk.”
“I love using it for quick little Perl/Tk GUI applications”
“Still find Tcl/Tk surprisingly effective for simple cross-platform GUI utilities.”
“Tk is a very nice (though basic) GUI kit, and my programs work on Linux, BSD, MacOS, and Windows.”
“Tcl/Tk rule and are insanely useful.”