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DesktopLinux.com offers this tutorial on Rexx, a user friendly scripting language for the desktop.
This article by Howard Fosdick, author of the Rexx: Programmer's Reference, tells you everything you need to know to get started using Rexx on your Linux desktop. Linux features powerful scripting languages like Bash and Perl, but these may not be suitable for end user scripting. Rexx, on the other hand, has proven ideal for desktop Linux users, according to Fosdick, yet it combines both ease of use and power, and is available in a three basic forms including procedural ("classic" Rexx), object-oriented, and Java-compatible versions.
Using Rexx for easy Desktop Linux scripting
by Howard Fosdick
Linux runs a plethora of free shell languages. These include Bash, the KornShell, the C shell, and their supporting tools such as awk, sed, and yacc. Linux also offers an exceptional selection of powerful free scripting languages such as Perl, Python, and Ruby.
Linux developers dwell in hog heaven. Who wouldn’t love this set of powerful scripting tools?
The answer, of course, is the desktop user. This person is not a professional developer. He doesn’t have the time or inclination to learn an advanced language like Bash or Perl. Nor does he program full-time. This person might be an IT professional who is employed somewhere other than in desktop development. Or she might be a "sophisticated user" -- a professional employed outside of IT, such as a business person or administrator or engineer or scientist.
Users script to tailor their systems, automate repetitive tasks, or solve simple programming problems. Languages that base their power on complex syntax, such as Bash or Perl, are difficult for them to learn, master, and remember. Users require a language they can script from memory, since they don’t program every day. They like languages with minimal syntax, forgiving formatting, and easy interactive debugging. Their language has to be designed for quick learning and ease of use while still supplying power.
Rexx fulfills this role. Rexx was bundled with both OS/2 and the Amiga OS based on its exceptional ease of learning and ease of use. But Rexx yields power: the language drives mainframes, where it has been the default scripting language for over twenty years. Full tutorial
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