HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Organization: Samford University Computer Services
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Thu, 8 Oct 1992 10:52:29 CDT
From:         THE GAR <GLWARNER@SAMFORD.BITNET>
Subject:      Sort Ascending and Descending
Comments: To: xedit-l@uga.BITNET, Rexx List <rexxlist@uga.BITNET>

I am trying to do a quickee exec to specify how I want my reader
ordered before I enter it.  What I would REALLY like to do is
have a Sort by date DESCENDING and within that sort by name
ASCENDING.  They XEDIT SORT command only allows everything a or
everything D.  Can someone suggest an alternative?  (that doesn't
run too slowly?)

Here is a greatly abbreviated version of the EXEC showing just the
part to which I am referring.  The full version has 8 sort options
and ? points to a usage help routine.  Abbreviations are also
parsed.  Full version (which I realize anyone could kick out in
15 minutes tops) available upon request.

/*  Stack sort for RDRLIST before entering */
IF ARG() = 0 THEN INPUT = "NAMEDATEDOWN"
   ELSE ARG INPUT;
SELECT
   WHEN SORTBY = "DATENAMEDOWN"; THEN QUEUE "SORT * D 63 68 16 23 6 13";
   WHEN SORTBY = "DATENAMEUP"; THEN QUEUE "SORT * 63 68 16 23 6 13";
   WHEN SORTBY = "?"; THEN CALL SHOW_HELP;
otherwise CALL SHOW_HELP;
end;
"EXEC RDRLIST";
exit;
/*******************************************/

I would much rather have it do something like:
   SORT * D 63 68 A 16 23 6 13
        \______/   \_________/

descend by date     ascend by type and name

Any help appreciated.


 /++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++\
!  Later        +   Systems Programmer                                 !
!  Gary Warner  +   Samford University Computer Services               !
!               +   II TIMOTHY 2:15                                    !
 \+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++/
Xref: sparky comp.lang.rexx:1231 misc.legal:18646 misc.legal.computing:2166 misc.int-property:1191
From: tjc50@juts.ccc.amdahl.com (Terry Carroll)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx,misc.legal,misc.legal.computing,misc.int-property
Subject: Copyright of computer language (was: Is Rexx copyright?)
Date: 14 Oct 92 17:38:39 GMT
Reply-To: tjc50@juts.ccc.amdahl.com (Terry Carroll)
Followup-To: misc.legal,misc.legal.computing,misc.int-property
Organization: Amdahl Corporation

In article <REXXLIST%92101401301808@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>, GOMBERG@UCSFVM.BITNET 
(Dave Gomberg) writes:
> On Tue, 13 Oct 1992 18:39:25 CST Jim Colten said:
> >PERHAPS THERE IS A MORE SUITABLE FORUM FOR THIS DISCUSSION?
> 
> Do you think it belongs on a list devoted to Perl or APL??

I think it (the discussion of whether a computer language may be the subject 
of copyright) belongs in the misc.legal, misc.legal.computing, or misc.int-
property newsgroups.

Follow-ups to those groups.

Terry Carroll - tjc50@juts.ccc.amdahl.com - 408/992-2152
The opinions presented above are not necessarily those of a sound mind.
From: richg@hatch.socal.com (Rich Greenberg)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: Re: Sort Ascending and Descending
Date: 9 Oct 92 00:18:22 GMT
Organization: Hatch Usenet and E-mail.  Playa del Rey, CA

In article <REXXLIST%92100812031756@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU> THE GAR <GLWARNER@SAMFORD.BITNET> writes:

>ordered before I enter it.  What I would REALLY like to do is
>have a Sort by date DESCENDING and within that sort by name
>ASCENDING.  They XEDIT SORT command only allows everything a or
>everything D.  Can someone suggest an alternative?  (that doesn't
>run too slowly?)

[. . . ]

>I would much rather have it do something like:
>   SORT * D 63 68 A 16 23 6 13
>        \______/   \_________/
>
>descend by date     ascend by type and name

Just do two sorts.  First, your minor fields A 16 23 6 13 and then the 
major field D 63 68.
-- 
                
Rich Greenberg - N6LRT - 310-649-0238 - richg@hatch.socal.com
From: gyan@unixg.ubc.ca (Gyan P. Sinha)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: Re: RXMATH responses. Help!!!
Date: 15 Oct 92 19:56:23 GMT
Distribution: inet
Organization: The University of British Columbia
NNTP-Posting-Host: unixg.ubc.ca


Why don't you place the OS/2 2.0 version at ftp-os2.nmsu.edu in the
/pub/uploads directory, and post a message to that effect on 
comp.os.os2.apps, or comp.os.os2.misc. I'm sure you'll get a lot of 
responses that way. REXX is a new toy for most PC users who have 
started using OS/2 and I'm sure a lot of people would like to see
examples of its power in creating nifty utilities. I know I would.

Thanks for making your work available in the public domain.

Gyan P. Sinha
UBC, Vancouver.
From: coatta@cs.ubc.ca (Terry Coatta)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: ExecIO Buffering
Date: 14 Oct 1992 18:14:12 GMT
Organization: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: cascade.cs.ubc.ca

I am using Arexx and ExecIO on an Amiga 1000 Kickstart V1.3.  I am
using ExecIO to read a file into a stem variable.  Despite the
fact that the file from which I am reading contains no line breaks
and the fact that ARexx strings can be 65,535 characters long,
ExecIO appears to be breaking the file into 512 byte chunks
(i.e. each element of the stem variable contains 512 bytes, save
the last).  Can this behaviour be changed? I would really like
ExecIO to read a maximal amount of data into each element of the
stem variable.

-- 
Terry Coatta (coatta@cs.ubc.ca)
Dept. of Computer Science, UBC, Vancouver BC, Canada

`What I lack in intelligence, I more than compensate for with stupidity'
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
From: peterp@unipalm.co.uk (Peter Piggott)
Subject: external functions with rexx for OS/2 2.0
Organization: Unipalm Ltd., 216 Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge CB4 4WA, UK
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 15:55:50 GMT

Hi all,

Is it possible, using OS/2 2.0's rexx, to call a function from a DLL?

Am I being a little 'optimistic' on rexx's functionality?

Any info on how one would go about this or a polite 'don't be stupid'
response would be much appreciated.

I can be more specific in what I want to achieve, if it would help :-)

Thanks,

PeterP
Unipalm Ltd
Email: peterp@unipalm.co.uk


Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Tue, 13 Oct 1992 18:39:25 CST
From:         Jim Colten <IJIM@UMINN1.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Is Rexx copyright?

PERHAPS THERE IS A MORE SUITABLE FORUM FOR THIS DISCUSSION?
From: imc@comlab.ox.ac.uk (Ian Collier)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: Re: REXX math functions
Date: 14 Oct 92 12:17:16 GMT
Organization: Oxford University Computing Laboratory, UK
X-Local-Date: Wednesday, 14th October 1992 at 1:16pm BST
Originator: imc@msc3.comlab

In article <2553.imc@uk.ac.ox.prg>, I (imc@comlab.ox.ac.uk) wrote:

|    sqrt:  /* You need this if and only if there is no builtin
|              arbitrary-precision sqrt() function */
 ...
|       if e//2 then e=e-1

I did, of course, mean:

        if e//2 ^= 0 then e=e-1

|Ian Collier
|Ian.Collier@prg.ox.ac.uk | imc@ecs.ox.ac.uk
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: Re: Is Rexx copyright?
From: Dave Gomberg <GOMBERG@UCSFVM.BITNET>
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 22:28:32 PDT
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU

On Tue, 13 Oct 1992 18:39:25 CST Jim Colten said:
>PERHAPS THERE IS A MORE SUITABLE FORUM FOR THIS DISCUSSION?

Do you think it belongs on a list devoted to Perl or APL??

Dave Gomberg    GOMBERG@UCSFVM  Internet node UCSFVM.UCSF.EDU  (415)731-7793
Seven Gateview Court, San Francisco CA 94116-1941
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Sat, 17 Oct 1992 10:28:59 MAL
From:         Wan Hasan Abdullah <WAN@UTMJB.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Rexx and DMS

On Thu, 15 Oct 1992 09:25:06 HOE antonio piedras morente said:
>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 ?
>
Well! There's a way to get it. Since the value of protected DMASK is 512,
so you can test it by using;

/**/
 .
 .
 .

If DMASK.x > 511 then Do
 .
 .
End

----------------
where x is a number of required data field.

I hope I do answer your question.

-WAN-
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
From: giguere@csg.uwaterloo.ca (Eric Giguere)
Subject: Re: external functions with rexx for OS/2 2.0
Organization: Computer Systems Group, University of Waterloo
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 15:45:00 GMT

In article <1992Oct15.155550.12802@unipalm.co.uk> peterp@unipalm.co.uk (Peter Piggott) writes:
>Is it possible, using OS/2 2.0's rexx, to call a function from a DLL?

Depends what you mean by "calling a function".  If you mean calling an
external REXX function, OS/2 includes a full interface for creating and
accessing such functions.  If you mean "calling any arbitrary DLL function",
that's a different issue, because you're not calling a function with a known 
interface anymore.  I can do it under Windows, though, and I expect it
to be just as doable under OS/2, but it's not something trivial to do from
scratch.

Mail me if you need more details.

-- 
 Eric Giguere                                    giguere@csg.UWaterloo.CA
          So is Windows NT short for "Windows, NOT?"  
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Thu, 8 Oct 1992 15:38:00 EDT
From:         Greg Smith <RYS@NCCIBM1.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: RXMATH math package for REXX

> Here is the code for my RXMATH math package.  Any comments
> or questions will be welcome.  I am particularly interested
> in UNIX or OS/2 ports.  Please let me know if you find any
> hidden CMS dependencies!  (I wonder, for example, about my
> use of "parse source" to determine whether RXMATH is running
> as a command or a function call).
>
  ...
>
> The first two files are REXX execs; the third is a CMS style help file.
> The execs were developed under CMS, and have run without modification
> under TSO.  I have not tried to run them using OS/2 or UNIX or PC REXX
> interpreters, and would be very interested to hear what was involved.
> My installation's CMS level is VM/XA CMS 5.6, and my REXX version is
> REXX370 3.40.
>
>
> John Brock
> uunet!csfb1!jbrock
> jbrock@csfb1.fir.fbc.com
> October 7, 1992
>

(Thanks for the execs, John).  I managed to get them to run under OS/2,
but it took some finagling ... I don't claim to be an OS/2 REXX expert
(I wrote my first OS/2 REXX exec yesterday !! and I figured this would be
good practice).  Anyway, the following changes were made to RXMATH:

(1) the first comment on line 1 must *also* begin in column 1
(2) variable names can't have a "$" in them; allowable non-alphnumeric
    characters are "!", "?" and "_".  So I changed all the "$" to "!".
    (This included renaming exec "RXMATH$" to "RXMATH!")
(3) "parse numeric" is not supported; I changed line 55 from
        parse numeric $dgt . 1 $.0dgt . /* Default for precision argument. */
    to
        !dgt=digits(); !.0dgt=digits()
    Note - "digits()" is a supported function so the inline function was
           deleted.
(4) function "find" is not supported so I added the following inline function:
        /* support non-SAA function "find" under OS/2 */
        find:procedure
         return wordpos(arg(2),arg(1))
(5) keyword instruction "upper" is not supported; I changed the following
    lines in inline function "arg_ok" from:
        parse arg $x, $test_list
        upper $test_list
    to
        parse upper arg !x, !test_list
(6) function "externals" is not supported so I added the following inline
    function:
         /* support non-SAA function "externals" under OS/2 */
        externals:procedure
         return 0

Only changes made to "RXMATH$" (I mean "RXMATH!") was putting line 1
comment in col 1, change all the "$" to "!", and removing the inline
"digits" function.

"parse source" worked just fine!!

Thanks, Greg Smith    US EPA contractor
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Subject: (no subject given)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Thu, 8 Oct 1992 12:16:17 EDT
From:         BENNYV@MAINE.BITNET

u could do it by using the push command.  the following code will sort
the readerlist by date (desc) type (asc) and name (asc), respectively:

/*  */
push 'sort * d 63 67'
push 'sort * a 16 23'
push 'sort * a 7 14'
push 'rdrl'

the numbers after the sort cmd are the begin and end column where the
date, type, and name are in your readerlist.
hope this helps...

-benny

=========================================================================
Benny A. Veenhof                     e-mail: bennyv@maine.bitnet
Computer Services                            benny@gandalf.umcs.maine.edu
Campus Living
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469, US                          Lat: 044N 45   Long: 068W 40
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Biondi's Law: "If your project doesn't work, look for the part you
               didn't think was important"
=========================================================================
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Tue, 13 Oct 1992 14:33:27 PDT
From:         Dave Gomberg <GOMBERG@UCSFVM.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Is Rexx copyright?
              13 Oct 1992 10:47:22 GMT from <ag129@CUS.CAM.AC.UK>

On Tue, 13 Oct 1992 10:47:22 GMT Alasdair Grant said:
>
>The functional programming language Miranda was copyrighted to prevent
>sub-standard implementations being distributed.

It sounds like what you are saying is that the name "Miranda" was protected.
If that is what you mean, the proper form of protection is probably trade
mark, not copyright.

Dave Gomberg    GOMBERG@UCSFVM  Internet node UCSFVM.UCSF.EDU  (415)731-7793
Seven Gateview Court, San Francisco CA 94116-1941
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Tue, 13 Oct 1992 10:05:20 -0400
From:         Bill Salisbury -- C2390S <C2390S@UMVMA.BITNET>
Subject:      REXX math functions

 *** Reply to note of 10/12/92 08:35
       Manager, Admin. Computing Center
       UMKC SSB 102F -- 235-1482
 As was pointed out to me by the author of the routine, the inaccuracy in
 my calculations was caused by a SQRT function using 12 digit precision for
 all calculations and thus introducing rounding errors no matter how precise
 the PI calculation specified -- my fault, not the algorithm's!

 HAVE A GOOD DAY!
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Wed, 7 Oct 1992 11:59:50 -0400
From:         Bill Salisbury -- C2390S <C2390S@UMVMA.BITNET>
Subject:      REXX math functions

 *** Reply to note of 10/07/92 09:55
       Manager, Admin. Computing Center
       UMKC SSB 102F -- 235-1482
 The program worked fine for me on an IBM PS/2 Model 50 using Personal REXX.
 I finally had to interrupt its execution for 1000 digits -- it was taking
 too long (a relative judgment).

 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

 I agree with the assessment of WOW to the coding technique.

 HAVE A GOOD DAY!
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Organization: Samford University Computer Services
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Fri, 9 Oct 1992 07:48:27 CDT
From:         THE GAR <GLWARNER@SAMFORD.BITNET>
Subject:      Sorting
Comments: To: rexxlist@uga.BITNET, xedit-l@uga.BITNET

Oops!  Thanks for all the people who pointed out my sorting
oversight.  I actually tried double sorting before I posted,
and convinced myself it didn't work.  Unfortunately, I was
thinking push and typing queue (doing major then minor rather
than minor then major).

Thanks again for all the suggestions.  It works quite nicely now.


 /++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++\
!  Later        +   Systems Programmer                                 !
!  Gary Warner  +   Samford University Computer Services               !
!               +   II TIMOTHY 2:15                                    !
 \+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++/
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Organization: Wirtschaftsuniversitaet Wien, Vienna, Austria
            <1686F12846.MCMASTER@LSTC2VM.stortek.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Date:         Mon, 5 Oct 1992 09:33:47 CET
Comments:     Warning -- original Sender: tag was NETNEWS@AWIWUW11
From:         "FLATSCHER Rony" <RONY@AWIWUW11.WU-WIEN.AC.AT>
Subject:      Re: dropping part of compound variable ?

Jim,

were there any discussions about making the stem-definition more
orthogonal in the past ?

From an "intuitive" approach any variable-name which has a dot at the
end like "stem.", "stem.anotherstem.", "stem.yet.another.stem." should
all be treated as stems (so dropping a "compound" stem would be possible).

The other side is, that one can run a loop over all indices after the first
dot, but not over the name before the first dot (by definition or by
implementation ?).

Would it be important to anyone to extend the stem-definition ?

---rony
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
From: jbrock@csfb1.fir.fbc.com (John E. Brock)
Subject: RXMATH responses.  Help!!!
Reply-To: uunet!csfb1!jbrock
Organization: First Boston Corporation
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 21:27:43 GMT

I posted the code for my RXMATH math package early last Thursday
morning (Oct 8, around 2:30 AM).  Our News reader seemed to be
broken on Thursday, and after about 6 in the morning we received
no postings in any newsgroup for the rest of the day!

What timing  :-(  :-(  :-(

While I have received several useful responses by mail, as of today
I have seen only two Usenet posts refering to RXMATH.  Naturally I
am very unhappy about this.  I would appreciate it greatly if people
who posted comments on RXMATH to the net would send me a copy of
their posts!  I would like very much to see what people had to say!

Also, I was not able to respond to everyone who sent me mail.  The
way my installation is set up I can not send mail to Internet addresses,
only Usenet addresses.  Some of my mail to apparent Usenet address
bounced also.  This is to let you know that your interest was appreciated
and your comments helpful.  Thanks!

One more thing.  I made some changes to RXMATH so that it should be SAA
clean and run on OS/2 REXX.  Is there anyone out there with an OS/2
machine who would be interested in testing it?  

-- 
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:         Mon, 12 Oct 1992 19:05:16 PDT
From:         Dave Gomberg <GOMBERG@UCSFVM.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: Is Rexx copyright?
              12 Oct 1992 14:30:12 GMT from <ag129@CUS.CAM.AC.UK>

I have severe doubts about the ability to copyright a language.  I am
sure you could copyright the description of a language (written in
"English"), but the language itself may not be susceptable to copyright
protection (trade secret, surely, patent, maybe, copyright very unlikely).

Do you have any case law showing a language copyright every doing anybody
any good?   Dave

Dave Gomberg    GOMBERG@UCSFVM  Internet node UCSFVM.UCSF.EDU  (415)731-7793
Seven Gateview Court, San Francisco CA 94116-1941
From: dej@qpoint.ocunix.on.ca (David Jones)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: Re: REXX math functions
Distribution: world
Date: 8 Oct 92 21:10:48 EST
Organization: Dejital Software

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
From: ag129@cus.cam.ac.uk (Alasdair Grant)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: Re:      Re: Is Rexx copyright?
Date: 13 Oct 92 10:47:22 GMT
Organization: U of Cambridge, England

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.
From: imc@comlab.ox.ac.uk (Ian Collier)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: Re: REXX math functions
Date: 7 Oct 92 13:33:34 GMT
Organization: Oxford University Computing Laboratory, UK
X-Local-Date: Wednesday, 7th October 1992 at 2:33pm BST
Originator: imc@msc2.comlab

In article <REXXLIST%92100618210271@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>, GOMBERG@UCSFVM.BITNET (Dave Gomberg) wrote:

>Wow, is that ever clever code.   But on my machine it converges to 3.056 and
>change at a couple of precisions.  For accuracy I would prefer:

>NUMERIC DIGITS 1000; RETURN 22/7

The program, as copied from your quotation of my article, worked fine for
me.  I'm sending you a trace.  Perhaps other people should check their
implementations with this program as well...

Of course, it may just be an operator precedence problem with REXX/imc, or a
sqrt() problem with your interpreter.

Ian Collier
Ian.Collier@prg.ox.ac.uk | imc@ecs.ox.ac.uk