Any REXX users here -- this still works on W8

Hi there
A long time ago I used REXX on an IBM mainframe -- about the only programming language I've ever came to grips with other than the defunct FORTRAN I used when I was at university as it's so easy (REXX, not Fortran that is).

I tried a bit of messing around with C++ and VB but either I'm too old or it seems much too complicated for what I want to do.

I read an article somewhere about " Mainframes never die --you just don't notice them so much any more" and it led me thinking to see if REXX was available on a PC -- surprise, surprise -- a great free package called REGINA REXX exists and seems to be totally compatible (where possible) to the Main frame version I used years and years ago plus extensions for the GUI as you are working in a Windows environment.

Being an Interpreted "Meta" language you can create small quick apps that will run on just about any platform too - and you can call windows API for Windows specific functions and objects.


Anyway here's a link in case anybody wants to try it out.

Very useful for running automated jobs --beats CMD / Batch files / JavaScript any day and there's GUI functions too so you can create Windows apps as well.

Bye Bye Windows Batch stuff --this works zillions of times better. Already schedule my backups with this too.

Works really fast too -- here's a little CMDLINE mode test screenshot enc.



Enjoy !! (and you'll wonder where the day has gone once you start !!).

Regina Rexx Interpreter

Cheers
jimbo

Very useful for running automated jobs --beats CMD / Batch files / JavaScript any day and there's GUI functions too so you can create Windows apps as well.

Click to expand...

For these types of things, I think most people would be more interested in AutoIt or AutoHotKey, or even, M$ task scheduler.
AutoIt - AutoItScript
AutoHotkey

I read an article somewhere about " Mainframes never die --you just don't notice them so much any more"

Click to expand...

Agreed. Computer death is more of a half life thing. Even still it appear like Rexx is pretty much obsolete, the lastest version was 2007.

Neck Beard said:

Very useful for running automated jobs --beats CMD / Batch files / JavaScript any day and there's GUI functions too so you can create Windows apps as well.

Click to expand...

For these types of things, I think most people would be more interested in AutoIt or AutoHotKey, or even, M$ task scheduler.
AutoIt - AutoItScript
AutoHotkey

I read an article somewhere about " Mainframes never die --you just don't notice them so much any more"

Click to expand...

Agreed. Computer death is more of a half life thing. Even still it appear like Rexx is pretty much obsolete, the lastest version was 2007.

Click to expand...

Hi there

the version in my original post was last updated in October 2012 so it lives on !!. Works a treat for all sorts of nice little Windows tasks such as automatic scheduling of backups -- selecting directories etc etc.

Windows CMD / BAT files are a pain -- and don't get me even THINKING about JAVASCRIPT.

Windows should have had a decent SHELL language like Linux -- but that's a totally other story.

Cheers

jimbo