So what syntax would you use, if not xTalk?

I assume you get a scripting language parser that already exists and is Open Source, or otherwise freely available.

I can think of several options:

1. Javascript (ECMAscript)

2. BASIC (a BASIC with the ability to reference objects e.g. VBscript)

3. Python

4. TCL

5. ???

Another alternative is to use RealBasic to implement a HC UI and DB for stacks and then use its built-in RBscript capablility to provide on-the-fly scripting. http://www.applelinks.com/rbu/071/

This is attractive because RealBasic supports objects pretty well and creates cross-platform GUI apps that run on Mac, Win and Linux.

I see difficulties in gracefully handling scripting errors though.

> That project fell apart because I wrote it in VB 6, no one was interested in it, and I made some big mistakes early in it's database's design.

Perhaps some of your VB6 code would be easily ported to RealBasic.