(Excerpts from a message dated 11-20-99, Francois Thunus to Murray
Lesser)

Hi Francois--

FT>19 Nov 99 21:53, Murray Lesser wrote to Fred Springfield:

 ML>     REXX is a great programming tool for quick and dirty jobs, or even
 ML> for jobs that spend most of their activity manipulating text files, but
 ML> I would not use it as a complete substitute for BASIC PDS, even though
 ML> there are things that are easier to do in REXX than in any other
 ML> language that I know: anything that "needs" the REXX PARSE statement.

FT>fyi:

>----- Begin -----

FT>REXX2EXE.ZIP              202K 11-20-99
  > Free rexx "compiler" (generates .EXE from .CMD).
  >http://www.os2bbs.com/file_d/rexx/REXX2EXE.ZIP

>-----  End  -----

FT>just in case :-)

    Thanks, but no thanks.  The one I have (VisPro REXX) merely embeds
the REXX program (with the VisPro GUI DLLs) in an EXE file, but it still
runs under the interpreter.  The main purpose of "burying" the CMD file
in an EXE is to make it harder (but not impossible) for the recipient of
the program to read the source code.  Since I am the "recipient" and
already have the source code, this subterfuge serves me no useful
purpose.

    From the description you sent (and from the name of the program) I
would assume that REXX2EXE does the same thing.  Besides, for ex-BASIC
applications using the equivalent of BASIC's PRINT USING (or formatted
output to a printer), it is easier to write them in PL/I than in REXX.

    Regards,

        --Murray

___
 * MR/2 2.25 #120 * Old engineering adage: there is more than one way to skin
a cat

--- Maximus/2 2.02