If only IBM would port OOREXX to TSO! Even when writing code that could just use a REXX BIF, I find it more convenient to use method invocations, e.g., len = stg~word(3)~length rather than len = length(word(stg,3)).
If you want to use OOREXX in Linux on Z, you might want the ANSI extension (WITH), in which case you'll need 5.0, which last I heard was in beta test. -- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz http://mason.gmu.edu/~smetz3 ________________________________________ From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [[email protected]] on behalf of Rony G. Flatscher [[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 6:12 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Some UNIX file usage questions On 20.06.2022 19:26, David Crayford wrote: > On 21/06/2022 1:07 am, Paul Gilmartin wrote: >> On Mon, 20 Jun 2022 08:47:49 -0700, Charles Mills wrote: >>> ... >>> The assembler routine will take as input a delay time in hundredths of a >>> second (because of >>> STIMER), do a WAIT ECBLIST, and return one of >>> >>> 'T' -- the time expired >>> 'P' -- the operator entered STOP >>> 'F modify command operand' -- the operator entered MODIFY >>> >> What happens if the operator enters STOP during the (relatively minuscule) >> fraction of time that Rexx, not Assembler is active? > > In that case the EXTRACT ECB will be posted and the routine will stop when it > is re-entered and > the ECB is tested. I've written something similar myself for Lua. The > differnce is Lua is object > oriented and holds state where REXX is not so it's a Frankenstien monster to > create a reusable > context. > It's hard to justify why anybody would do it for REXX when you can just code > a C++ program using > __console() and a std::thread. This is a question of philosophy in general. "Name dropping" of computer programming languages does not substantiate assessment of a problem and then thinking of the "best" solution for it. One criterium might be performance, another needed resources, another one is to solve a problem quickly (saving human time), another one is legibility to improve understanding, maintainability, reduce errors, and many more. One important criterium is definitely standardisation: this makes sure that in certain environments basic programming skills can be relied on like in the mainframe world REXX or Java or Assembler. If one is able to jump between different programming languages like Assembler, REXX, Lua, C++, Python, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Ruby, ..., and the programs should be maintainable by others, preferably by the shops where they get deployed, then one should not "jump around" languages, just because some person is able to do so as the resulting code might lock-in the shops, make them dependent on the authors/sellers. --- Seeing that you sometimes stress the importance of object-orientness for various reasons (like above) pointing at REXX incapability in that context, then seeing that you like to frame REXX with all bad and negative emotions ("it's a Frankenstein monster") one wonders what is the agenda of such a person. Clearly, if it was possible to build on REXX skills and making it easy to e.g. exploit object-oriented features, most notably the ability to define data structures with functions/methods to maintain/interact with them ( a.k.a. "types","classes"), why not use the language IBM has originally built as an object-oriented successor to REXX i.e. ooRexx? ooRexx is able to run Rexx programs and allows optionally to define your own data structures/classes/types, plus it adds a wealth of useful new features in an easy to learn and easy to use manner. There are mainframe shops that use ooRexx as a mainframe port to the Linux subsystem has been existing. --- Now if someone were to try out/explore ooRexx it may be interesting to extend ooRexx such that REXX programmers who got accustomed to ooRexx may become able to interact with/exploit Java, noticing how predominant Java is and how well it gets supported by IBM. (Heck, IBM even has an OpenJDK distribution of its own! And not only IBM, even Microsoft, believe it or not, and Amazon, and Bellsoft, and ...) The interesting thing is, if the user, the programmer is in the center of endeavors like enhancing REXX with object-oriented abilities such that the language remains easy, and then extends the abilities to encompass all of Java, but using a dynamically typed, caseless programming language like REXX or ooRexx, then it is likely that "normal" REXX programmers become quite quickly able to instrumentate all important mainframe technologies from a Linux subsystem. (I teach beginners, BA students!, in four months programming in a four hour lecture, the last two months they use and take advantage of Java without a need to learn Java at all! The most important indredient is the programming language: first introducing REXX then ooRexx.) The external ooRexx function library to bridge [oo]Rexx and Java is called BSF4ooRexx and has been in development and proven for more than 20 years. There are mainframe shops where this bridge gets used with ooRexx to become able (again) to run their Rexx programs against DB2. The BSF4ooRexx installation package has a precompiled library for the mainframe Linux subsystem aboard. --- So the driving idea is to extend known and trusted skills and technologies. Here building on the REXX skills. The technologies are there, it is up to the interested REXX programmer to put their toes into the water and then try it out as ooRexx is available for Windows, Linux, MacOS, the mainframe and others. (Also, if you know/love C++ it may be interesting to know that it is quite easy to create external ooRexx function packages, its native API is impressive. BSF4ooRexx uses it, making it - among other things - possible to use [oo]Rexx as macro language for any Java application. This is being exploited by JavaFX which can use [oo]Rexx as one of its scripting/macro languages out of the box!) For those of you who have never seen ooRexx and want to know how it looks like and how it is based on REXX, you may want to skim over the ten PDF pages at <https://secure-web.cisco.com/17js-sPO6VZWfEo-XEmOgal9UfLTLnpq3atQtyPmQSQOKFFp33_GE1KVdg7oSWE-8KxXtrVK1t5G16MXEkgoBIaF8dihdcZ95whHdTRjqsiBiNpp5WTV7vdLSu5ksRqYPpjWSLc4GnwIJlt4CO9pOiWbWhPcqa7rjUnN-1rSH2KouEmUjL7Wy6THPzQJbUrJeGWgZ-bardRv_v1PriPqVyLJC13IQpCFdE_vWGrarRcmjg-31aSSQKcpDNMrXHZSwfbbe9xukSyXhctJXfBG7cM2TFfz69C8By0YZlBQ-_bHyuMIqTv_vc4cbgM-1Cj_s7psfL-lcj9z1FLkL5Bmw6Doupof2U6fe1AS5edpqtb65DQyeYtMMrIDXq6TQCSk6EqPRhuwXe3cyZTn12z09ealigZreUFS0JuUn0Qhk_214IE6LOr7vB0g6FQrOCVmz/https%3A%2F%2Fepub.wu.ac.at%2F8118%2F>. The article is "timeless" in the sense that everything it communicates is still actual and relevant. It is meant as an easy introduction to REXX and ooRexx allowing one to assess a little bit the underlying philosophy. --- Ad one of the samples in this thread (writing to a file) in [oo]Rexx may be as simple as: call lineout 'somefile', 'hello, world !' ooRexx extends the stream-BIF based functionality with a stream class/type of its own that allows for reading from/writing to any device including file systems. However, one would use that additional functionality only, if it adds some benefit, e.g. using an open stream as an argument to a Rexx function (yes, ooRexx allows one to fetch arguments by reference including stems). --- Lastly, if you are interested in writing Java programs, but do not want to learn Java, then use NetRexx for that matter! NetRexx got created by the father of REXX, Mike F. Cowlishaw who - among many other great skills and talents - has been an expert on the Java programming language more than 25 years ago. NetRexx follows the REXX philosophy ("Java in the clothes of REXX") such that REXX programmers would become able to create Java programs quickly, they usually just do not realize that! IBM's NetRexx BTW was the first JVM language in the world! NetRexx - like ooRexx - has been handed over to the non-profit SIG Rexx Language Assocation (RexxLA, cf. http://secure-web.cisco.com/13MsPQ43LNrKcS6M9enEaKDRT1xDszq37QjhXWg8tcJMr4BP1QpFFQmCb9zQLVQzpXdmkAok-yiXj3LrwDXviBoC6dA41ZrJ6Jq_80ojMERzlTvbc0bTdGP-sYxVAG7RQUtejjlz-1m1EjO2Q05sjVN3F3pCafdB8hGDjjyH8OWZUgZOPddBrVaUP3a1mpVcEFZvEfz_cqwlGvaUxTB8j5UI6j_vjGyHiBlPDHHku5CfKVjTacPsHMPYAjCWKzrZil-egJrrjap3lWPfcX8UDVp1-RGlr9kgE77FPYnC6cTkSMJU0JIOwuyihziXV2pS-ElsTchoXCPvuKIE1vZrxGASd3YuMv-_xhKxtztU62b2oEX9JyOtzMLY2MNWVQO4CzsIbajfJb816dJ318tAqoFVXw0dii8e9K1C3tTZ7-xTBRIQyOQU4TKWK0FiXQzsX/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.RexxLA.org) by IBM. RexxLA has open sourced both languages and has been maintaining and developing them. Try them out, they are free! :) ---rony ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
