[TCLCORE] TEA packages on macOS

[Marc C. <cul...@gm...>]

I have a lot of questions on this topic.  I will ask them one at a time, to
try to avoid overload.

Before I ask the first one, I would like to draw attention to ticket
c397574993 <https://core.tcl-lang.org/sampleextension/tktview/c397574993> on
the sample extension repository.  (I am not sure if anyone monitors that
repository.) It is a glaring indication that the TEA sample extension is
not really in a state where it can be used.

Here is my first question.  When you build a TEA compliant binary Tcl
extension, say the sample extension, you end up with a .dylib file.  The
question is:* Why????*

I don't think it makes sense.  There are two types of shared libraries on
macOS.  They normally have different file extensions: *.so *for a so-called
"bundle" and *.dylib* for a so-called "dynamic library".  Both of these
file types can be dynamically loaded by *dyld*.  So either type should work
for a binary Tcl extension.  The difference is that a "dynamic library" can
also be used by the static linker* ld*.

Other languages, e.g. Python, use .so files for binary extension modules
which are loaded by dyld.  Tcl could do that as well.  The only reason not
to do that would be if you needed to statically link against the shared
library in a Tcl binary extension.  And that is why the Tk extension, i.e.
the dynamic library named Tk (the .dylib filename extension is optional),
uses the "dynamic library" format.  Other extensions need to link against
it.  But for a normal TEA extension, the simpler "bundle" format would seem
to make more sense.

Does anyone here know anything about why TEA is doing this?

- Marc