3 comments about Modern Programming Using Rexx.

1. Don't know anything about this book. I'm extremely familiar with M.F. Cowlishaw's 'A Practical Approach to Programming'. I'm wondering why O'hara's and Gomberg's book has an almost identical cover. This smells rotten.



2. The "reviewer" above complains that Cowlishaw's cover looks a lot like ours and wonders if we stole it. The fact is that I designed the cover and that Mike liked it so well he asked permission to use it, which I (of course) granted. So there was no theft and any copying was with (my) permission.

   I would not have "rated" the book, but Amazon insisted that I must. It was the best I could do.




3. I guess if I had been able to read the preface before ordering this book, or had paid closer attention to the author's "review" of it, I would have realized that this was not the book for me. It uses REXX just incidentally to its main thrust - an introduction to programming. Its use of CMS and of the XEDIT and KEDIT editors for its examples (having been written 13 years ago, before REXX was as widespread as it now is) leave the reader who is looking for mainframe ISPF edit macro tips out of the picture to a large extent. The book relies heavily on "text book" programming examples, such as sorting techniques and how to approach an assignment like writing a tic-tac-toe game. Because I was looking for something quite different in the book, I could not take up the intellectual challenge of studying these examples in detail.

2 comments about Writing Os/2 Rexx Programs/Book and Disk (Ibm Mcgraw-Hill Series).

1. After struggling to learn and use REXX I realized the on-line manual was not enough. After looking at several books and reading various reviews and comments I purchased Dr. Richardson's book.

   Now having used REXX very intensively for nearly 2 years I am very pleased with the ground work and coverage the text provided. The inclusion of many example programs helped enormously when learning and I will still occasionally go back and look at them.




2. I felt this book is organized well.

   I first read 'The Rexx Language' by M.F. Cowlishaw to get the basics of the language.

   Then when I read this book I got a different perspective and many examples of how to apply the language.

   Basically the entire rexx language is covered so even if you haven't read any rexx books before this book should be ok.

   This book is based on using rexx on os/2. I happened to have an old copy around so I read it.

   I have to now move to windows and I'm not sure what's going to be the same and what's changed for the windows version of rexx.

   I think there's an object oriented version of rexx available now.

   My copy of this book came with a diskette that has many programs already typed in.

2 comments about Rexx in the Tso Environment (The Qed Ibm Mainframe Series).

1. This is the definitive source of information on the topic. It is a better teaching/learning tool than Mike Colishaw's own text, and he is the "guru" who headed up the team that created REXX. If you cannot take a class in REXX, do not hesitate to pay $... for a used copy of this text.



2. I have been muddying my way through REXX for many years. I only recently discovered this book and would give anything to have discovered it 20 years ago. Thanks Gabe.

2 comments about Down to Earth Rexx (Down to Earth Software Guides).

1. Down To Earth REXX, authored by Bill Schindler and published by Perfect Niche Publishing is an update of the Teach Yourself REXX In 21 Days SAM's Publication, which was the text of choice for programmers learning to use REXX on an OS/2 Platform in the mid-1990s.

   Down To Earth REXX is a fitting title for the book, in that it uses a wide array of practical, real-world programming examples in teaching REXX to all levels of programmers, from introductory concepts regarding REXX syntax, File Processing and Functions to more advanced RexxUtil Functions for MS DOS under Windows and OS/2 Workplace Shell and EPM Programming techniques.

   Among some of the text-based programs presented in the book that I found useful as Windows-based MS DOS environment applications are an Interactive REXX Interpreter, a Calendar Month Display program, a File Deletion with Verification utility, a Binary File Hex Display utility, a Filespec Directory Search utility and a Multiple File Text String Search utility.

   There are topics which cover ANSI.SYS programming for text-based color display programming, conversion of .BAT files into REXX programs, Compound variables for use in array processing, algorithms such as Zeller's Congruence (useful in date field processing) and the use of recursion for sorting, and .INI file processing techniques.

   For the majority of the program examples (primarily Text Console-based) presented in the first 17 Chapters, the programs can be easily modified to run on different platforms (in my case I used IBM Object REXX for MS-DOS under Windows95 and Red Hat Linux 6.1 running a Gnome workstation terminal).

   Some of the programs are strictly OS/2 material, particularly those examples presented in Chapters 18 through 21, which cover OS/2 Applications, Workplace Shells and Interprocess Communications.

   Perfect Niche has done a good job to improve the presentation of the material from the earlier SAMs edition. I found the new format easier to read and quicker to reference versus the older book. The Appendices in the Perfect Niche publication are a significant improvement over the SAMs text. Appendix D is a concise, specific reference of REXX Keywords and Functions, which I found reflecting most of the functions available in the IBM Object REXX Interpreter.

   The program code is for the most part free from error. I did find an error in the Intermediate Skills Review 2 "Checker Game" program (CHEXX.CMD), in which the REXX Logical Not Operator was substituted with an erroneous "TM" superscript. For most dialogs of REXX and most PC keyboards, the "\" character can be used as a Logical Not Operator.

   I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a comprehensive book rich in useful programming examples as a means to learning REXX. The cost of the publication is very favorable compared to other publications readily available. The fact that the latter portions of the book focus on OS/2 should not deter any programmers who are looking for a text for learning the REXX language as a text-based scripting language for multiple platforms.




2. I recently discovered REXX and have been devouring books on the subject. This one is a good book, but it doesn't tell you that it is focused on OS/2. In almost every example I've seen, it works similarly on Windows and (with minor changes for calling external OS commands) Linux. However, I find myself checking even the most minor things to see if it is implementation specific (OS/2 has a version of REXX built in) or if it conforms to TRL2 or ANSI.
   
   All in all, this is a good book, and a useful addition to your library if you want to use REXX at home or at work.
   
   Buy this book, but--unless you have access to OS/2--make sure you have one or two others first.

No comments about Practical Usage of Rexx (Ellis Horwood Series in Computers and Their Applications).

No comments about Rexx: Advanced Techniques for Programmers (J Ranade Ibm Series).

3 comments about Mastering OS/2 REXX.

1. I find that when I want to write a complex program, this book along with Writing OS/2 REXX are key. What one doesn't cover in enough detail, the other does. However, since no one is perfect, there are a few mistakes in it. Example, when you are checking for the existance of a file, the example it has shows the proper responces in reverse order(it is an if then else). Regardless, I still think it is an very good reference guide.



2. For those who want to use OS/2, this book has been of a help to me. It brought me passed a couple of hurdles which I had bogged down on.



3. The description of the book is misleading. It is not about REXX under TSO and it is not about panels.
   It is about REXX on IBM's OS/2 operating system.

2 comments about Programming in REXX.

1. I would reccomend this book to any serious REXX programmer. I use it daily. Good examples, and thorough explanations of REXX functions



2. This book documents REXX from a practical perspective and has many examples and useful suggestions. It focuses on the syntax and uses of the REXX statements but does not cover EXECIO and environment-specific commands. A good book to have close at hand.

5 comments about The REXX Language: A Practical Approach to Programing (2nd Edition).

1. I used this book as my bible for the first 3-4 months I worked in REXX. It contains all of the introductory lessons and information you need to get some REXX under your belt. Perfect for a first-time REXX programmer.



2. I first used REXX back in 1982 when it was called REX. In those days, since it provided a decently structured interface to a very clumsy executive (VM/SP with CMS), we all marveled at the language. Today, it is clumsy at best. The author's claims that the language is "designed for people, not machines" make it sound as if he has achieved some magical apotheosis. He has not. As reasonably structured "glue" for an archaic operating system environment, REXX makes a stab at being an equal of the Korn shell but misses the mark. I wouldn't go any farther than that in trumpeting its power, flexibility, or elegance.



3. I enjoyed the book. It is very well written as a reference for the language. And it is interesting to read the motivation behind different features. I first used Rexx about 18 years ago, and I still think it's an excellent scripting language. I use the Korn shell every day, but I find it much easier to write scripts in Rexx. However, I don't think this is a good deal. [The cost] is WAY too much to spend for a xeroxed paperback copy. [Also,] it's NOT in a textbook binding...



4. This is a great reference book for the rexx programming language.

   However based on the current price I'm glad I was able to find my old copy from back in the 90's which has the original cover.

   An interersting aspect of this book is the history of how the rexx language was created. It was originally distributed internally within IBM and many changes were made based on feedback from the original users.

   This is a good example of how someone managed a tremendous amount of information.

   The reference documentation was written before the language was actually implemented. The author felt that writing the reference documentation after the language was implemented would result in inaccurate documentation because the writer would know the implementation too well to write an objective description.

   He says the following about the thousands of e-mails he received from the original users:

   "All of this mail was reviewed some time after the initial correspondence in an effort to perceive trends and generalities that might not have been apparent on a day-to-day basis."

   I guess this is similar to how things evolve in the unix world.
   Something gets introduced on some newsgroup and then it evolves.

   Anyway the end result is a relatively easy-to-understand programming language which fills a certain type of niche functionality very well.

   Rexx is sort of like a scripting or command language but it has many of the same features as a full blown programming language plus some of its own unique features.

   It's definitely a better alternative than batch files for working with files and issuing commands to the operating system.




5. I want to make it clear that this rating has nothing to do with the actual content of the book, but the book itself. For the price, it is an extreme rip off. The pages look like they went through a very bad copy machine; to the point that some were not even readable. The binding is terrible as well. I ended up returning the book, which is a shame because there are not enough good REXX books left on the market for those of us that use REXX on a daily basis.

5 comments about Rexx Programmer's Reference (Programmer to Programmer).

1. As a mainframe REXX programmer, I was pleased to find a new REXX book. The book begins with a tutorial on standard REXX features. It then gets into different platforms, interfaces, function libraries and object REXX. The dozen appendices give coding guides to functions, instructions and extended functions. I found the example programs clear enough and easy to run on my pc. The book tells you where to download them from (free). If they come out with a second edition I would like to see more NetREXX examples, tho I admit the book is pretty hefty as it is.



2. REXX Programmer's Reference it's VERY GOOD book,but NOT FOR
   MAIFRAME programmer's (like My).



3. This e-book doesn't work with Palm OS devices even using Adobe Professional. So, if you want to buy this e-book for reading with your Palm, you would not be able to do it.



4. This is a good/best introduction to REXX even for me a 2 year Mainframe programmer.
   
   My only problem was when I tried to load the book into my Palm TX. The Acrobat Reader for Palm OS doesn't recognize the encryption used on this e-book. The only solution available is to get Adobe Acrobat Professional version, but $449 bucks? I hope the 30-day trial has the function to change the "Security Method".
   
   So, if you want this e-book to use it with your Palm OS device and don't want to buy for the professional version of Adobe Acrobat, you'd better get the papperback edition.



5. This book tries to cover as much about Rexx as possible in one book. It succeeds well considering the challenge.
   
   PROS: Thorough coverage of the Rexx language. Lots of coding examples, good tutorial, very comprehensive reference material. Covers some special topics like interfaces, programming style, error-handling techniques, and portability issues. Includes a lot on Windows and Linux. I had fun with the section on how to program my handheld using Rexx -- yah!
   
   CONS: Contains two-plus chapters on object Rexx, but some more advanced material would be helpful. Found some typos, but nothing important.
   
   CONCLUSION: Just about every Rexx programmer would benefit from having a copy.