A modern XMPP client in Tcl/Tk

Name: A modern XMPP client in Tcl/Tk
Availability: InStock
Author: wusspuss

by wusspuss·Jun 11, 2026·2 points·0 comments

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AI Analysis

●●SolidWizardryCozy

15mb static binary with OMEMO and calls using Tcl/Tk is impressive constraint craft.

Strengths

•15mb statically-linked executable with RTC library and codecs is remarkable
•Bridge architecture supports direct, thread, or process backend modes transparently

Weaknesses

•Pre-alpha with OMEMO only for direct messages limits current usefulness
•Tcl/Tk choice limits appeal despite technical achievement

Post Description

I've been building Tacky, a desktop XMPP client in Tcl/Tk 9. It's pre-alpha, but it has working OMEMO and audio/video calls compatible with modern clients like Conversations/Dino. It's meant to be trivially distributable - executables statically linked with everything for Linux and Windows, at ~15mb (that's including everything, an RTC library, codecs, etc). RAM usage is ~80mb. Why Tcl? Mostly nostalgia really. The chat view itself is "just" tk text widget, but has some features you'd expect - loading on scroll, attachments, etc.