Hyperion Entertainment Message Boards

Quoting from another thread on adding ARexx support for a standard OS function:

Arexx support will not be added [...] Arexx is basically obsolete and parts of it are still in 68K assembly language

Is this the official standpoint regarding ARexx, that it is obsolete? If that is the case, what is it replaced with? Python?

Because ARexx is, imho, one of AmigaOS's more important features. I believe that ARexx is one reason why AmigaOS has aged so gracefully as I think it has. And I don't think it is merely due to the direct effect of new and old programs being able to talk to each other, but also much in how Amiga programs are developed, given a standardized OS supported way of exporting functionality, actually influencing how programs are designed.

Furthermore, I don't see how it being 68k has anything to do with it being obsolete given that the OS is shipped with 68k support builtin. In a (the) future where time and resources are given, it might even be feasible to rewrite the 68k ARexx parts.

Arexx is not going to disappear, just don't expect it to get "the next big thing".

Simon

We can't rewrite the 68K parts or modify the code to fix bugs or make any improvements. I believe that our licence for the product is limited to distributing the binaries.

At least, that was the case back in 2005, it is always possible that the original author might change his mind.

Making arexx obsolete will be mistake. Its one of strong points of amigaos imho. There should be something good and uniq, or then why to choice OS where everything will be the same. To say truth, i first time read that it "obsolete" from Colin, but it can be the same "obsolete" as mui was, and now it is not.

@Tonyw

We can't rewrite the 68K parts or modify the code to fix bugs or make any improvements. I believe that our licence for the product is limited to distributing the binaries.

? Didn't you notice in public lately some new rexx based libs released ? If i remember right, rexxsyslib or kind. And no one stop us to re-implement it and call "smarexx".

ARexx is going to stay the way it is and no further investment is planned. We'll fix bugs now and then but I don't see any need to invest in it further.