Announcing general availability (GA) of BSF4ooRexx, version 4.10 as of 20120618
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Announcing general availability (GA) of BSF4ooRexx, version 4.10 as of 20120618
 
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Announcing general availability (GA) of BSF4ooRexx, version
4.10 as of 20120618
BSF4ooRexx is an external ooRexx function package to allow bridging Rexx with Java in both directions. It needs ooRexx version 4.1 <http://www.ooRexx.org> or higher (version 4.1.1 recommended!) installed. BSF4ooRexx comes with the ooRexx package "BSF.CLS" that camouflages all of Java as ooRexx, making it possible to create Java objects without a need to program in Java at all! Numerous Rexx nutshell examples will be installed with BSF4ooRexx which demonstrate how easy it is to take immediate advantage of Java's functionality from Rexx. The Rexx sample programs can be accessed through the BSF4ooRexx menu entitled "samples". [Java is usually already installed on any computer (the so called "Java runtime environment (JRE)" such that after installing BSF4ooRexx you can already run these sample programs and study their effects and the small code. If Java is not installed on your computer, then you can download it for free from e.g. <http://www.java.com>.] Rexx programs using Java as their external function package are by virtue of Java's "run everywhere" philosophy operating system independent. This is to say that the Java features one uses from Rexx will be available on any operating system where Rexx and Java exist. Or with other words: one cannot only write powerful Rexx scripts exploiting Java's functionality that can solve any modern software problem, but these Rexx programs are in addition operating system independent! Major new features in this new version of BSF4ooRexx 4.10:
In addition two long standing, but unnoticed memory-leaks were
uncovered in the previous beta cycle and have been fixed for this
release. The download link: After successful installation of BSF4ooRexx you can find further
information via the installed BSF4ooRexx menu entitled
"Information", which contains PDF-files introducing some of the
features of BSF4ooRexx. The information folder also contains a
brief introduction to Rexx and ooRexx suitable for programmers who
either do not know Rexx or do not (yet) know ooRexx. If there are any questions with respect to BSF4ooRexx and/or Java
then please post them on one of the BSF4ooRexx mailing lists:
In the case that you look for the documentation of the Java
classes used in the Rexx nutshell examples use first the JavaDocs
(HTML-pages documenting each Java class) for Java 1.4 as this
version of Java has quite legible notations:
<http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.4.2/docs/api/>. In the case that you need newer JavaDocs, then you may want to
use one of: <http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/api/>,
<http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/> or
<http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/>, which all use
heavily the "<xyz>" notation for "generics", which may be
quite distracting for novice readers. Hence the advice to start
out with the easy to comprehend JavaDocs for Java 1.4! (Please
note that the Java documentation sites have plenty of interesting
tutorials that demonstrate how to take advantage of the
functionality of different kinds of Java classes.) ---rony P.S.: In addition special support for OpenOffice/LibreOffice is supplied with the ooRexx package "UNO.CLS", making "ooRexx a first class programming language citizen" for programming OpenOffice in a quite easy ("Rexxish") manner (the installation will try to install the OpenOffice/LibreOffice support by default, cf. <http://www.OpenOffice.org>). P.P.S.: In the case that you wish syntax highlighting for the Rexx code, then one possibility is using the "vim" editor, which "Rexx" support also highlights ooRexx code (<http://www.vim.org/>). P.P.P.S.: Please download the package from the above given URL from Sourceforge as it keeps statistics. It may be the case that it takes a few days, before Sourceforge makes the files available to anonymous users. If you cannot wait for Sourceforge, here's an alternative link: <http://wi.wu.ac.at/rgf/rexx/bsf4oorexx/tmp.20120616/> _______________________________________________ Ibm-netrexx mailing list [hidden email] Online Archive : http://ibm-netrexx.215625.n3.nabble.com/ |
Re: Announcing general availability (GA) of BSF4ooRexx, version 4.10 as of 20120618
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Hi Rony,
Re P.P.S., jEdit also colors ooRexx, NetRexx, Rexx and 150+ other languages. Once you have Java, it's an easy install. I've read a number of your posts on BSF4ooRexx, and it sounds interesting. However, it seems to overlap greatly with NetRexx and I've wondered why a NetRexx user would be interested. I'm curious, but it's a big investment in time to try it out. I also am puzzled that your posts produce no response, favorable or otherwise, from this group. Also, I've never understood why ooRexx and NetRexx coexisted. I can see that IBM might want to be independent of outside language tools, but why two of roughly the same capabilities? BTW, you say: "BSF4ooRexx comes with the ooRexx package "BSF.CLS" that camouflages
all of Java as ooRexx, making it possible to create Java objects
without a need to program in Java at all! " I have no reason to doubt this, but I wonder if this doesn't omit an "inconvenient truth", namely that you can't get very far with these Java objects without having a fair knowledge of Java technology? Of course, NetRexx has this same problem. It has proven a stumbling block to users coming from Rexx, who hope they have found a painless key to Java. Some just go away after realization dawns.Regards, George On Mon, Jun 18, 2012 at 8:06 AM, Rony G. Flatscher <[hidden email]> wrote:
-- "One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love." -- Leo Tolstoy _______________________________________________ Ibm-netrexx mailing list [hidden email] Online Archive : http://ibm-netrexx.215625.n3.nabble.com/ |
Re: Announcing general availability (GA) of BSF4ooRexx, version 4.10 as of 20120618
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Hi George
On 19.06.2012 03:19, George Hovey
wrote:
Re P.P.S., jEdit also colors ooRexx, NetRexx, Rexx and 150+ other languages. Once you have Java, it's an easy install.thank you for this hint, will look into it! I've read a number of your posts on BSF4ooRexx, and it sounds interesting. However, it seems to overlap greatly with NetRexx and I've wondered why a NetRexx user would be interested. I'm curious, but it's a big investment in time to try it out.Hmm, maybe this can make it clearer how I look at both:
With the current drop of BSF4ooRexx it becomes possible for NetRexx programmers to configure multiple Rexx interpreter instances differently and dispatch Rexx programs via them from any NetRexx/Java thread. In addition it has become possible to write Rexx exit handlers (!) in NetRexx, including command handlers!! I also am puzzled that your posts produce no response, favorable or otherwise, from this group.Yes, me too. Also, I've never understood why ooRexx and NetRexx coexisted. I can see that IBM might want to be independent of outside language tools, but why two of roughly the same capabilities?NetRexx and ooRexx address totally different use cases, i.e. NetRexx<>Rexx, where ooRexx is Rexx++ :) BTW, you say:Interestingly, if you use BSF4ooRexx you only need to know the following concepts from Java: fields, methods, static, interfaces. If you are used to ooRexx then the concepts "fields=attributes", "methods=methods", "static=class" are known already and impose no problems. (The learning curve for classic Rexx programmers is steeper, but by no means not as steep as learning Java.) Of course, NetRexx has this same problem. It has proven a stumbling block to users coming from Rexx, who hope they have found a painless key to Java. Some just go away after realization dawns.Maybe some background on how BSF4ooRexx got developed in the past decade: it is being used in lectures to teach business administration students ooRexx plus Java camouflaged as ooRexx (by the Rexx package "BSF.CLS"). So every semester I get a new group of newcomers (either totally new to programming, or acquainted with Java, which is the minority). So I can observe how they do, where they have problems in reaching out to Java, such that I kept improving BSF4ooRexx over all those years to make it easy on this kind of students to reach out to Java using only the ooRexx concepts. And it has improved to the point, where such students would use Java (!) to determine, whether a Rexx string contains a number or not (not realizing that there is a BIF named datatype(), believe it or not). Now, if it is easier for them to reach into Java, instead of going through the Rexx reference, then the interface to Java must have been eased to the extent, that Java becomes indinguishible for them from Rexx. So, using BSF4ooRexx you can reach into all of Java, still remain in the relatively easy ("simple"), but powerful environment of Rexx. HTH, ---rony
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