Rexx Programmer's Reference

Chapter 19. Evolution and Implementations

Overview

You have reached the point in this book and in your understanding of Rexx that you know the core language. Now it is time to explore more deeply the many platforms, problems, and situations to which Rexx applies. Let's expand our knowledge into advanced Rexx.

This chapter outlines the history and evolution of Rexx. Discussing the evolution of the language shows how it has migrated across platforms and addressed new developer needs over time. This is useful in analyzing where Rexx fits into your own organization and how you can capitalize on its strengths as a universal scripting tool.

This chapter analyzes the roles Rexx fulfills, as a scripting language, macro language, shell extension, application programming interface, object-oriented scripting tool, mainframe command language, and vehicle for programming handheld devices. It discusses where different Rexx implementations fit into this picture. It describes the "personalities" of the various Rexx intepreters and when and where you might want to use each. It also introduces a methodology for comparing Rexx interpreters to one another. The methodology can be used, too, for comparing Rexx against other scripting and programming language alternatives. Different projects and different organizations have different needs. No one interpreter is best for every situation. This chapter helps you compare and contrast interpreters and discusses some of the roles of the various Rexx products. ...