Re: Beginners questions

[Andre Gillieron]

Ciao,

you wrote:

> NetREXX produces Java code as an end result, is this correct?

NetRexx can produce java source code, by means of the options -nocompile,
or
(by default) directly class files.

> Does NetREXX need to be present to run the resultant Java code on another
> computer?

Nope. You may need one or more of the netrexx classes that implement the
features not available in Java (such as the object "Rexx", which is a class
sporting all the methods like .insert, .changestr, etc that we learnt to
love), but
you can easily (and legally) redistribute them with your applications. Much
like
you would do with any other JavaBean that you collect on the internet.
As an example, I redistribute (with my NetRexx apps) the classes that are
stored
inside the NetRexxR.zip package, and that suffices. If you don't use the
extra
NetRexx classes, you don't even need to include anything from the NetRexx
package.

> How does NetREXX compare with ObjectREXX?

Tough call. NetRexx only provides a gentler syntax (and a few more things)
to
Java, and is therefore bound by what java can do, while Object Rexx doesn't
have such constraints. To put it bluntly, if Mike wants to implement
something in
NetRexx that is not allowed by Java, he can't. If on the other hand the
Object
Rexx staff wants to implement something, they can and they do.

This is the theory.

In the real world, NetRexx is very enticing because nowadays many entities
invest lots of money into Java and java products, and therefore:

a) Java (the environment, not the language) is quickly (just wish it wasn't
SO
quick) catching up, feature-wise, with the modern operating systems, and
therefore the "java poses constraints" point is becoming a moot point.

b) your developing efforts are backed up by an entire industry! I remember
using VX-Rexx years ago -- a great tool, but basically limited to the
components
distributed with the package. Nowadays I can choose to incorporate in my
NetRexx apps whatever JavaBean (component in java jargon) I need, and
nearly always I can *choose* among several of them.

In fact I consider the fact that NR is tied to the Java platform as a plus,
not a
minus.

> Which would you
> suggest for a newbie to start off with?  (I have coded with standard REXX
> for OS/2 for a   while now.)

Hmm -- they are somewhat similar at a glance (see two sources, and you'll
understand), but as a newbie and in my own very personal experience, I
could
learn NetRexx more easily. It's just plain simpler for me. Object Rexx
tends to do
object-oriented stuff very well, but at a cost: sheer simplicity is lost.

> Can NetREXX handle GUI stuff (WPS, SOM etc)?

It can handle all of the java classes you throw at it. Therefore, GUI yes
in the
form of the Java AWT standard package, WPS/SOM not easily (you need
some kind of interface between java and the platform specific stuff, and
this
fact makes the task voodoo-level difficulty if you're also trying to learn
the
language).

> Can NetREXX also be used to generate "normal" REXX programs?

No. NetRexx syntax is slightly different form Rexx syntax (eg there's a
loop..end
construct replacing do..end in loops), and the object-oriented stuff makes
impossible to have a 1 NR instruction to 1 Rexx instruction mapping.

> Is there a
> NetREXX FAQ?

Sure -- if you go to the main NetRexx page
(http://www2.hursley.ibm.com/netrexx) you'll see a link to Dion Gillard FAQ
and
FAC (freely available code). Don't forget to grab also your copy of RXFile
(again, link from the main NR page) should you need to open some files from
time to time. You'll also find several other useful NetRexx projects such
as
pipes, general purpose classes and network related stuff available from
there.

Max

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~
To unsubscribe from this mailing list ( ibm-netrexx ), please send a note
to
[hidden email]
with the following message in the body of the note
unsubscribe ibm-netrexx <e-mail address>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To unsubscribe from this mailing list ( ibm-netrexx ), please send a note to
[hidden email]
with the following message in the body of the note
unsubscribe ibm-netrexx <e-mail address>

[Andre Gillieron]

To all mailing list participants who responded to the following message:

Thanks very much for taking the time to respond to my newbie enquiries
regarding NetREXX; some good
solid information all around was passed along to me!  Much appreciated! :-)


** Reply to note from [hidden email] Tue, 14 Jul 1998 15:42:57 PST
>
> Howdy all......:-)
>
> Couple of quick questions re: NetREXX.........
>
> NetREXX produces Java code as an end result, is this correct?
> Does NetREXX need to be present to run the resultant Java code on another
computer?
> How does NetREXX compare with ObjectREXX?
> Which would you suggest for a newbie to start off with?  (I have coded
with standard REXX for OS/2 for
a
> while now.)
> Can NetREXX handle GUI stuff (WPS, SOM etc)?
> Can NetREXX also be used to generate "normal" REXX programs?
> Is there a NetREXX FAQ?
>
> Guess that was more than a couple of questions.......sorry about that!
<g>
>
> Any info on the above matter would be much appreciated.......thanks! :-)
>
>
>
>
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~
> To unsubscribe from this mailing list ( ibm-netrexx ), please send a note
to
> [hidden email]
> with the following message in the body of the note
> unsubscribe ibm-netrexx <e-mail address>



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~
To unsubscribe from this mailing list ( ibm-netrexx ), please send a note
to
[hidden email]
with the following message in the body of the note
unsubscribe ibm-netrexx <e-mail address>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To unsubscribe from this mailing list ( ibm-netrexx ), please send a note to
[hidden email]
with the following message in the body of the note
unsubscribe ibm-netrexx <e-mail address>