HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: RZOTTO@DKNKURZ1.BITNET (Otto Stolz)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: Re: REXX math functions
Date: 16 Oct 92 15:56:19 GMT
Article-I.D.: DEARN.REXXLIST%92101616403467
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
X-Acknowledge-To: <RZOTTO@DKNKURZ1>

Hi gang,

on Tue, 13 Oct 92 15:16:45 GMT Ian Collier said:
> [...] I didn't post a sqrt
> function last time.  I will this time, [...]
>   sqrt:  /* You need this if and only if there is no builtin
>             arbitrary-precision sqrt() function */
> [42 more lines of code suppressed]

Why all this ado about formating the radicand, parsing mantissa &
exponent out of it, fiddling with the numeric settings, etc?
For me, the following simple Newton iteration did the job:

   sqrt: procedure    /* variant 1 */
     parse value arg(1) 1 0 with x r r1
     do while r ^= r1
        parse value r (x/r+r)/2  with r1 r
     end
   return r

It requires that numeric fuzz be at least 1.  A sqrt for an arbitrary
caller would read thus (and take more CPU time, of course):

   sqrt: procedure   /* variant 2 */
     parse numeric nd .
     numeric digits nd+1
     numeric fuzz 1
     parse value arg(1) 1 0 with x r r1
     do while r ^= r1
        parse value r (x/r+r)/2  with r1 r
     end
   return r

Do not worry about the altered numeric settings. Excerpt from CALL
HELPREXX:
: NUMERIC settings (the DIGITS, FUZZ, and FORM of arithmetic operations,
: described in the NUMERIC instruction) are saved and are then restored
: on RETURN.  A subroutine may therefore set the precision, etc., that it
: needs to use without affecting the caller.

My times to calculate pi with Ian Collier's original program and various
sqrt routines (specified as internal functions, each) on a Comparex 7/88
under VM/SP HPO and CMS Rel 5 were:

significant   ----------------- virt CPU times ------------------
places (nd)   my variant 1   my variant 2   Ian Collier's variant
         10       0.04 sec       0.05 sec                0.16 sec
         32       0.17 sec       0.24 sec                0.68 sec
        101       2.39 sec       2.58 sec                7.20 sec
        319      30.16 sec      56.42 sec               73.67 sec
       1009     496.12 sec

Note that the shorter times vary considerably due to system load
variations. The times for 100 significant places (and more) of pi
apparently vary less than 10% between repeated measurements.

Happy programming,
                    Otto Stolz <RZOTTO@DKNKURZ1.Bitnet>
                               <RZOTTO@nyx.uni-konstanz.de>
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Thu, 15 Oct 1992 09:25:06 HOE
From:         antonio piedras morente <ZCCBAPM@EB0UB012.BITNET>
Subject:      Rexx and DMS

Hi Rexxpeople.
I have a question, I hope anybody can help me.
Is there any way to know in a Dms screen under Rexx if a data field
is Protect or Unprotect ?

Thankyou in advance.
From: exujlg@exu.ericsson.se (Jon L. Gauthier)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: RxMessageBox in Rexx for OS/2 2.0?
Date: 15 Oct 92 21:22:50 GMT
Organization: Ericsson Network Systems, Inc.
X-Disclaimer: This article was posted by a user at Ericsson.
              The opinions expressed are strictly those of the
              user and not necessarily those of Ericsson.

I'm trying to use some of the RexxUtils functions under OS/2 2.0, and am having 
some trouble.  What's wrong with the following Rexx procedure?

1	/* Sample REXX program to log user off network */
2	call RxFuncAdd 'RXMessageBox', 'RexxUtil', 'RxMessageBox'
3	/* Pop up message box.  If user hits CANCEL (=2) then abort 
	by exiting */
4	if RxMessageBox("Log off the Network?", ,  "OKCANCEL","
	EXCLAMATION") = 2 Then Exit
5	'@C:'
6	'@net logoff /y > nul'

It gives me the following error message:
	[C:\]log
	     4 +++   If RxMessageBox('Log off the Network?',, '
		OKCANCEL','EXCLAMATION') = 2;	
	REX0040: Error 40 running C:\lanman\netprog\LOG.CMD, line 5: 	
	Incorrect call to routine

I'm following the exact calling notation called for in the REXX 
Info reference file on RxMessageBox (heck, I even copied the sample and 
tried it - nothing!)  

Any ideas?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jon L. Gauthier                                 Ericsson Network Systems, Inc
EXU/IS/TP Systems Programmer                                  P.O. Box 833875
+1 214 997-0157                                     Richardson, TX 75083-3875

e-mail:  exujlg@exu.ericsson.se, exu.exujlg@memo.ericsson.se
Geez!  Can I be a .com, huh? huh?  Aw, pleeeaaasssse?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Fri, 9 Oct 1992 09:38:31 EST
From:         George Waller <HBLADM47@UCONNVM.BITNET>
Subject:      Write access to minidisk

A while back, several list members gave me some very good advice
about NOT allowing write access to a minidisk to more than one user
at one time.

Someone may have suggested the following, or I may have come up
with it myself, but at any rate, I would appreciate comments on
the following approach to limiting write access to one user at
a time.  Thanks!

/* */
'cp link minidisk 191 567 WR'
if rc = 0 then 'access 567 n'
          else do
             'cp det 567'
             say 'try again later'
             end
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
X-Acknowledge-To: <U632111@HNYKUN11>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Mon, 12 Oct 1992 13:12:31 MET
From:         "W. J. Metzger" <U632111@HNYKUN11.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: REXX math functions
              8 Oct 92 21:10:48 EST from <dej@QPOINT.OCUNIX.ON.CA>

On Thu, 8 Oct 92 21:10:48 EST David Jones said:
>
>In article <REXXLIST%92100711594992@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU> Bill Salisbury -- C2390S
><C2390S@UMVMA.BITNET> writes:
>> My timing tests (for what they're worth) are:
>>
>>     10 digit precision -- 6.76 seconds-- 3.141592656
>>     20 digit precision -- 40.15 seconds-- 3.14159265354941579892
>>     25 digit precision -- 63.0 seconds-- 3.141592653594157988802306
>>
>
>Unfortunately, if these numbers are supposed to be approximations of pi,
>then they're off.
>
>pi = 3.1415926535897932384626433832795...
>
>I'll stick to my assembly routines (which agree with the value of pi
>generated by the Maple symbolic algebra package).

I just tried rxmath for pi and got the following

3.1415926535897932384626433832795029
Looks to me like it agrees with MAPLE
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
From: jbrock@csfb1.fir.fbc.com (John E. Brock)
Subject: Re: REXX math functions
Reply-To: uunet!csfb1!jbrock
Organization: First Boston Corporation
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 20:46:10 GMT

In article <dej.01rz@qpoint.ocunix.on.ca>, dej@qpoint.ocunix.on.ca (David Jones) writes:
|> In article <REXXLIST%92100711594992@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU> Bill Salisbury -- C2390S <C2390S@UMVMA.BITNET> writes:
|> > My timing tests (for what they're worth) are:
|> >
|> >     10 digit precision -- 6.76 seconds-- 3.141592656
|> >     20 digit precision -- 40.15 seconds-- 3.14159265354941579892
|> >     25 digit precision -- 63.0 seconds-- 3.141592653594157988802306
|> >
|> 
|> Unfortunately, if these numbers are supposed to be approximations of pi,
|> then they're off.
|> 
|> pi = 3.1415926535897932384626433832795...
|> 
|> I'll stick to my assembly routines (which agree with the value of pi
|> generated by the Maple symbolic algebra package).
|> 
|> --
|>  David Jones, 6730 Tooney Drive, Orleans, Ontario K1C 6R4 CANADA
|>        email: dej@qpoint.ocunix.on.ca    Fido: 1:163/109.8
|>  AMIGA: Advanced Multimedia with Interactive Graphics and Audio
|> 

What are you running RXMATH on?  On my VM/CMS system RXMATH gives exactly
the same result as your Maple.  In case anyone wants to check to more
places, on my machine:

rxmath(1000, 'PI') =

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749
445923078164062862089986280348253421170679821480865132823066
470938446095505822317253594081284811174502841027019385211055
596446229489549303819644288109756659334461284756482337867831
652712019091456485669234603486104543266482133936072602491412
737245870066063155881748815209209628292540917153643678925903
600113305305488204665213841469519415116094330572703657595919
530921861173819326117931051185480744623799627495673518857527
248912279381830119491298336733624406566430860213949463952247
371907021798609437027705392171762931767523846748184676694051
320005681271452635608277857713427577896091736371787214684409
012249534301465495853710507922796892589235420199561121290219
608640344181598136297747713099605187072113499999983729780499
510597317328160963185950244594553469083026425223082533446850
352619311881710100031378387528865875332083814206171776691473
035982534904287554687311595628638823537875937519577818577805
32171226806613001927876611195909216420199

-- 
John Brock (212) 909-4662
The First Boston Corporation
12 East 49th Street
New York, NY 10017
uunet!csfb1!jbrock
jbrock@csfb1.fir.fbc.com
From: martinc@grover.cs.unc.edu (Charles R. Martin)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: Re: Is Rexx copyright?
Date: 13 Oct 92 14:03:05 GMT
	<1992Oct13.104722.4966@infodev.cam.ac.uk>
Organization: UNC Department of Computer Science
In-reply-to: ag129@cus.cam.ac.uk's message of 13 Oct 92 10:47:22 GMT

In article <1992Oct13.104722.4966@infodev.cam.ac.uk> ag129@cus.cam.ac.uk (Alasdair Grant) writes:

   In article <REXXLIST%92101222064330@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU> Dave Gomberg <GOMBERG@UCSFVM.BITNET> writes:
   >Do you have any case law showing a language copyright every doing anybody
   >any good?   Dave

   I'm not arguing for or against language copyrights, I'm asking whether
   Rexx (and in particular that particular selection of features that 
   comprises SAA Rexx) is copyright.  

   The functional programming language Miranda was copyrighted to prevent
   sub-standard implementations being distributed.

I think the point is that unless UK copyright law is *very* different
from the US --- which it shouldn't be, now that the Us has joined the
civilized world in the Berne Convention --- a copyright can only apply
to an expression of the language; it can't cover the ideas of the
language.  Thus it seems highly improbable that a copyright on Miranda
offers any protection whatsoever.
--
		Charles R. Martin/(Charlie)/martinc@cs.unc.edu
     Dept. of Computer Science/CB #3175 UNC-CH/Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3175
	    3611 University Dr #13M/Durham, NC 27707/(919) 419 1754
		 Remember what the little cake said to Alice.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Tue, 13 Oct 1992 18:46:39 -0400
From:         Bill Salisbury -- C2390S <C2390S@UMVMA.BITNET>
Subject:      REXX math functions

 *** Reply to note of 10/13/92 10:40
       Manager, Admin. Computing Center
       UMKC SSB 102F -- 235-1482
 I'm really sorry I posted my message concerning my timing results.  I thought
 it might be of interest to mainframers to see how the timing on a PS/2 model
 50 might compare.  As I said earlier, Ian pointed out that my results seemed to
 have been corrupted by a "not so precise" SQRT function -- absolute right on!

 I'm sorry my "contribution" was the cause of shifting the original focus of
 the discussion -- which I perceived to be discussion of variable precision
 algorithms for REXX mathematical functions.  Ian responded to my posting with
 his correct analysis of my inaccurate results via the REXXLIST last week.  I
 assumed that everyone interested in the topic would have caught the gist of
 that message and that no response from me was necessary.  Apparently I was
 wrong.  My apologies are formally extended to Ian Collier for causing the
 accuracy of the algorithm to be questioned.  Maybe all of this fuss does
 point out a need for people to more precisely identify sources of error in
 numeric calculations -- I referenced a SQRT function that I have stored
 previously that calculated with a precision of 12 digits -and- used it in a
 routine that was designed to permit variable precision calculation.  I err'd
 in not considering the "imbedded" restriction of my SQRT routine.  It seems
 that this type of oversight is a possible consequence of "modular" programming
 languages and is a lesson that we must sometimes be reminded of.  I learned
 something from this episode.  I hope other people did too.  But please, if
 you don't like the accuracy of the results produced by my run, don't blame the
 algorithm or Ian Collier -- blame me in my programming oversight.

 HAVE A GOOD DAY!
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
X-Delivery-Notice:  SMTP MAIL FROM does not correspond to sender.
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Fri, 16 Oct 1992 08:28:52 EDT
From:         TREY@IBMH1.ORL.MMC.COM
Subject:      RxMessageBox in Rexx for OS/2 2.0?
Comments: To: REXXLIST@UCF1VM.CC.UCF.EDU

>>I'm trying to use some of the RexxUtils functions under OS/2 2.0, and am
>>haveing some trouble.  What's wrong with the following Rexx procedure?

>>if RxMessageBox("Log off the Network?", ,  "OKCANCEL","
>>EXCLAMATION") = 2 Then Exit
>>It gives me the following error message:
>>REX0040: Error 40 running C:\lanman\netprog\LOG.CMD, line 5:
>>Incorrect call to routine
>>Any ideas?

Try keeping the quotes matched up on each line.  Write it like this.
if RxMessageBox("Log off the Network?", ,  "OKCANCEL",
  "EXCLAMATION") = 2 Then Exit

Trey Bowman
Martin Marietta Information Systems
P.O. Box 590385  MP 1714
Orlando, Florida  32859-0385
Voice:(407)356-4965    Fax:(407)356-7298
OV/VM: TREY at MMDSH   Internet: TREY@IBMH1.ORL.MMC.COM
From: jbrock@csfb1.fir.fbc.com (John E. Brock)
Subject: Re: REXX math functions
Reply-To: uunet!csfb1!jbrock
Organization: First Boston Corporation
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 22:19:02 GMT

In article <dej.01rz@qpoint.ocunix.on.ca>, dej@qpoint.ocunix.on.ca (David Jones) writes:
|> In article <REXXLIST%92100711594992@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU> Bill Salisbury -- C2390S <C2390S@UMVMA.BITNET> writes:
|> > My timing tests (for what they're worth) are:
|> >
|> >     10 digit precision -- 6.76 seconds-- 3.141592656
|> >     20 digit precision -- 40.15 seconds-- 3.14159265354941579892
|> >     25 digit precision -- 63.0 seconds-- 3.141592653594157988802306
|> >
|> 
|> Unfortunately, if these numbers are supposed to be approximations of pi,
|> then they're off.
|> 
|> pi = 3.1415926535897932384626433832795...
|> 
|> I'll stick to my assembly routines (which agree with the value of pi
|> generated by the Maple symbolic algebra package).
|> 
|> --
|>  David Jones, 6730 Tooney Drive, Orleans, Ontario K1C 6R4 CANADA
|>        email: dej@qpoint.ocunix.on.ca    Fido: 1:163/109.8
|>  AMIGA: Advanced Multimedia with Interactive Graphics and Audio
|> 

I posted a response to this a little while ago thinking that the
original post (Bill Salisbury's) refered to my RXMATH program.
Now I'm not sure.  The thing is, in RXMATH I hard code a value for pi,
and don't need to recalculate it unless I am asked for more than 25 places
of precision, so all three of the above timing tests should have returned
the same time, which should be very short, since there is actually no
calculation involved.  Do Mr. Salisbury's numbers refer to another
math package?  My News reader has been screwed up, so I'm afraid I
don't really know what is going on right now.  Sorry!

-- 
John Brock (212) 909-4662
The First Boston Corporation
12 East 49th Street
New York, NY 10017
uunet!csfb1!jbrock
jbrock@csfb1.fir.fbc.com
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Thu, 8 Oct 1992 09:23:04 MST
Comments:     Converted from PROFS to RFC822 format by PUMP V1.2
From:         Michael Prenn <TAPPRENN@IDBSU.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Looking for online REXX manual


=======================================================================
thanks.........Regular Execution of XX-traterrestials

=======================================================================
Contact me:   E-mail via PROFS (username TAPPRENN)
From: ag129@cus.cam.ac.uk (Alasdair Grant)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: Is Rexx copyright?
Date: 12 Oct 92 14:30:12 GMT
Organization: U of Cambridge, England


Is Rexx copyrighted? Can one write (sell?) a Rexx interpreter without
buying a license from IBM (or Mike Cowlishaw)? Is SAA Rexx, as a particular
choice and combination of features, copyright?  

(Yes, there are copyright languages, e.g. the research functional language
Miranda is copyrighted as a whole. And I suspect a particular version of
the language, e.g. an SAA one, is even easier to copyright.)
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Tue, 13 Oct 1992 23:57:00 CDT
From:         Jay Alloway <JAY@KSUVM.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: RXMATH responses. Help!!!
Comments: To: REXX Programming discussion list <REXXLIST@UGA.BITNET>,
              John Brock <JBROCK@CSFB1.FIR.FBC.COM>

If you haven't been swamped with requests, I'll test RXMATH under OS/2.
I have some other REXX math packages I've ported to OS/2.  I'll compare
the results of the routines.

Jay Alloway
Kansas State University
jay@ksuvm.ksu.edu
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
X-Acknowledge-To: <SYKLB@NASAGISS>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Fri, 9 Oct 1992 11:49:07 EDT
From:         Ken Bell <SYKLB@NASAGISS.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Write access to minidisk

On Fri, 9 Oct 1992 09:38:31 EST George Waller said:
> ...                             I would appreciate comments on
>the following approach to limiting write access to one user at
>a time.  Thanks!

>'cp link minidisk 191 567 WR'
>if rc = 0 then 'access 567 n'
>          else do
>             'cp det 567'
>             say 'try again later'
>             end

Why not just 'CP LINK userid 191 567 M' in that case?  This requests
a write link in the presence of zero or more existing read links, and
fails if someone else already has a write link.

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Ken Bell (SYKLB@NASAGISS * SYKLB@NASAGISS.GISS.NASA.GOV * 212-678-5545) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: mwm@contessa.palo-alto.ca.us (Mike Meyer)
Subject: Re: Re: Is Rexx copyright?
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Distribution: world
X-NewsSoftware: Amiga Yarn 3.4, 1992/08/12 15:49:52
Keywords: 
Summary: 
Date: 13 Oct 92 21:06:35 PST
Organization: Missionaria Phonibalonica

In <1992Oct13.104722.4966@infodev.cam.ac.uk>, ag129@cus.cam.ac.uk (Alasdair Grant) wrote:
> The functional programming language Miranda was copyrighted to prevent
> sub-standard implementations being distributed.

I've seen this claim a number of times. As copyright law stood last
time I checked (Berne Convention and US), it wasn't possible. I'd like
to know how to contact the holder of this copyright, so I can find out
what they did that causes this claim to be spread (I.e. - did they
find a way to copyright the language, or do they just claim to have
done this to scare people, etc). I'd also like to know of any cases
where the copyright on the language - not an implementation or
documentation - was actually enforced.

Now, Ada (TM) and The Track Language (TM) are both trademarked names,
so that nobody can sell a substandard version of the language under
those names. But that's a horse of a different color.

	<mike
From: matt@volga.Berkeley.EDU (Matt Wright)
Subject: Re: um, maybe this is a silly question
Organization: University of California, at Berkeley
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 17:03:34 GMT

Ken Kahn writes:
>  To my way of thinking it is perhaps the
>most natural of the bunch.  Namely, write or use something that will generate
>a list of numbers and then multiply them together.  This is the APL-style of
>doing factorial.

In ISETL, another programming language that they use a lot in education, 
you say

	factorial := {x -> % * [1..x]}

E.g., "assign to the variable factorial the following value: a function that
maps x to the answer you get by reducing the list of numbers from 1 to x by
multiplying them all together."

You could do something like this in any language with first-class
functions.  (Or even LOGO, which merely has RUN and dynamic scope.)

TO ONETO :X
IF :X = 0 [OUTPUT []]
OUTPUT SE ONETO :X-1 :X
END

TO REDUCE :SENT :OP
IF EMPTYP BF :SENT [OP FIRST :SENT]
OUTPUT RUN (SE :OP FIRST :SENT REDUCE BF :SENT :OP)
END

TO FACTORIAL :N
OP REDUCE ONETO :N "PRODUCT
END

-Matt
From: dal3@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (dale.e.parson)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.logo
Subject: Re: um, maybe this is a silly question
Date: 9 Oct 92 12:36:26 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T

In article <1992Oct9.065708.25074@muddcs.claremont.edu> omitchel@jarthur.claremont.edu (Ocie *crow* Mitchell) writes:
>I was playing around with logo and I was wondering, how do you set the 
>value/type of a variable?
>
>[BASIC] x=10
>[C] int x=10
>[Logo] ?...
>

make "x 10
Newsgroups: comp.lang.logo
Subject: Re: LOGO riddle/task/thing to think about
From: dkresse@eis.calstate.edu (David Kressen)
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 05:52:48 GMT
Organization: Calif State Univ/Electronic Information Services

Brian, I'm using LogoWriter on a MacLC.  How do I discover the
relationship between a verticle turtlestep and a pixel?  I've just treated
turtlesteps as the "unit" of measure, without worrying about the fact that
horizontal steps are greater than verticle steps.  Of course, your problem
requires an understanding of the relationship between the turtle's
step-length and the computer's pixel-length.  When you go from 0,0 to 0,90
you're talking turtlesteps, but when you draw the line you're talking
pixels. I tried it using 2.65 turtlesteps for each piece of the line, and
it "came out even" with three sets of "---- ", but there were small
variations of length on the screen and - of course - my solution didn't
have enough "---- "s.  I know this is all very simple-minded, but at
least I'm going at the problem "logo style"!

Dave Kressen

Newsgroups: comp.lang.logo
From: dc@uctcs.cs.uct.ac.za (Donald Cook)
Subject: q
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 07:02:42 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Department, University of Cape Town