Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!bcm!uhnix2!uhnix1!sugar!peter
From: peter@sugar.UUCP (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Macro languages
Message-ID: <2034@sugar.UUCP>
Date: 20 May 88 19:38:42 GMT
References: <1769@van-bc.UUCP>
Organization: Sugar Land UNIX - Houston, TX
Lines: 56

In article ... lphillips@lpami.van-bc.UUCP (Larry Phillips) writes:
> Most programs with an ARexx interface
> do not require ARexx to use the program. Examples are TxEd (still a
> perfectly functional editor) and PCLO Plus (still a perfectly functional
> PCB layout program).

On the other hand my main use of AREXX would be to handle macros and
command files. One thing I need is command files. This means I have to
duplicate the part of AREXX I want to use in my program anyway.

----------
I have now received AREXX and WShell, and have spent minimal time playing
with it. No major surprises so far. On the down side I have been having
some problems, but on the up side the documentation is extremely good,
and the interface code is described in detail.

 o If I mount ConMan as CNC:, and NewWSH CNC:..., there is no echo from
   the CNC: window and editing keys don't work. This is a trifle
   upsetting :->, inasmuch as it negates any advantage of ConMan.

 o When I type in the demo program from the AREXX manual:

	say 'What is your age?'
	pull age
	say 'You are about ' age*365 ' days old.'

   It gives me a message along the lines of "Can't find Command". Is
   the demo non-working, or what?

 o AREXX won't serve for the sort of IPC I want to do. It really does
   strongly expect text strings as input and output, and when you pass
   stuff to a program (COMMAND EDIT 'insert' text) it concatenates it
   into a single string. No way could pointers pass unscathed, unless
   you convert them to hex or something, and even then you're letting
   yourself open for some serious trouble. This was a disappointment.

   There's no way Browser is going to pass file locks, window pointers,
   or message ports through this interface. People are already upset enough
   about Browser guruing them when they try to Workbench Launch a CLI
   application, despite repeated warnings in the documentation and
   program.

   On the other hand, it should work extremely well as a command language
   for Bill Barton's MIDI library. MIDI messages are perfectly good
   text strings. I do intend to do an AREXX midi module.

 o The syntax and operators of the language just feel sticky. They remind
   me of the less desirable aspects of BCPL and Forth. Now, it may be that
   I'm just not used to it, but I've done a bunch of PL/M programming (and
   the control structures are definitely PL/I derived), but the individual
   nouns are pretty weird. "say", for instance, instead of "print" or
   "write". "pull" instead of "read". But what can you expect from IBM?
-- 
-- Peter da Silva      `-_-'      ...!hoptoad!academ!uhnix1!sugar!peter
-- "Have you hugged your U wolf today?" ...!bellcore!tness1!sugar!peter
-- Disclaimer: These may be the official opinions of Hackercorp.