Working with REXX doesn't feel comfortable to me at all. I'm troubled by
the fact that every function call carries a potential side effect. While we
can resort to procedures, we then encounter the challenge of dealing with
telescoping exposure lists. When I hear about adapting to quirks, it seems
to translate to "I acknowledge REXX's flaws, but I stick with it because
it's what I'm familiar with, even if I have to tolerate it.” The recent
discussions on this forum have brought attention to the shortcomings and
limitations of REXX as a programming language.
In comparison to other platforms, Z/OS used to offer limited options in
terms of programming languages. However, that's no longer the case. What
struck me as ironic during my recent presentation was that the majority of
the audience were millennials who were unfamiliar with REXX. This might
come as a surprise to seasoned veterans of mainframes who are used to REXX,
but in today's landscape, familiarity with it isn't necessary.
On 16 Mar 2024, at 7:19 am, Seymour J Metz<sme...@gmu.edu> wrote:
Every language has pitfalls. While I generally prefer strongly typed
languages, I find Rexx and ooRexx to be comfortable to work with, and it is
not difficult to adapt to its quirks:
<http://www.rexxla.org/Newsletter/9812safe.html>
<http://www.rexxla.org/Newsletter/9901safe.html>
--
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz
http://mason.gmu.edu/~smetz3
עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי
נֵ֣צַח יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א יְשַׁקֵּ֖ר
________________________________________
From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List<IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> on
behalf of David Crayford<00000595a051454b-dmarc-requ...@listserv.ua.edu>
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2024 6:40 PM
To:IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU
Subject: Re: Rexx numeric digits and scientific notation question
REXX can indeed be quite tricky to navigate. I recently conducted a
session titled "Python for REXX programmers" at work, and during the
preparation, I was surprised (although not entirely) by the numerous traps
and pitfalls inherent in REXX. When you add to this its absence of basic
functionalities like sorting lists, it begs the question: Why opt for REXX
when we have a plethora of alternatives available today?
The obvious answer may be familiarity, but in our industry, this
argument seems rather weak unless you're confined to a limited environment.
After all, I wouldn't want to revert to using a 1990s-era flip-top phone,
let alone a rotary dial from the 1970s.
On 16 Mar 2024, at 2:47 am, Charles Mills<charl...@mcn.org> wrote:
Well, that explains a mystery. I did not realize that SIGNAL ON was
pushed and popped on subroutine calls. I have had this vague problem where
my SIGNAL ON NOVALUE did not seem to work but at the time of an error it is
always easier to fix the NOVALUE condition than troubleshoot the SIGNAL ON.
Thanks!
Charles
On Thu, 14 Mar 2024 12:04:00 -0500, Glenn Knickerbocker <
n...@bestweb.net> wrote:
On Wed, 13 Mar 2024 11:01:30 -0500, Charles Mills<charl...@mcn.org>
wrote:
And the answer is ... "The three numeric settings are automatically
saved across internal and external subroutine and function calls."
I was setting numeric digits in an initialization subroutine, so Rexx
helpfully unset it on return from initialization. I thought I had done it
that way before but I guess I have not.
Funny, I work with a lot of code that has a common subroutine for
retrieving a TRACE setting to set in the main routine, and I never even
thought about why, or about all the stuff that gets saved across calls!
From CALL HELPREXX on VM:
The status of DO loops and other structures:
--though, importantly, not the *indices* of the loops!
Trace action:
NUMERIC settings:
ADDRESS settings:
Condition traps: (CALL ON and SIGNAL ON)
Condition information:
Elapsed-time clocks:
OPTIONS settings:
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